A Simple Man
by Su Freund
Summary: Just another "uneventful" day in the oh so simple life of Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill, USAF when a seemingly simple mission gets complicated
1. Default Chapter

Title: A Simple Man

Author: Su Freund

Website: www ficwithfins com (insert . instead of spaces in the address)

Status: Complete

Category: Action, Drama

Pairings: None

Spoilers: Anything featuring Charlie or Sara O'Neill, Chain Reaction, Revelations, Fragile Balance

Season: 7

Sequel/Series Info: None

Rating: PG-13

Content Warnings: Very minor use of mild language

Summary: Just another "uneventful" day in the oh so simple life of Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill, USAF when a seemingly simple mission gets complicated

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2004 Su Freund

File Size: 171 KB, all three parts

Archive: My site, Jackfic yes, SJD yes, Gateworld, FanFiction Net, Jack & Sam's Pad.

Author's Note: Please note that this fic is formatted much better on my site than it is here on FF Net so you may prefer to read it there. I am afraid that reformatting the whole thing to suit the vagaries of the way this site uploads fic is not something I have any desire to do!

This fic is dedicated to Cjay who suggested the title from something I wrote in another fic, and so inspired this. Thanks once more to Bonnie for her beta reading and advice. She does me proud.

This fic is published in 3 parts on my site, each part illustrated with different and totally fabulous Jack art by Lightfoot, made into great book covers by Fulinn28. I seriously recommend you go drool. Fellow devotees of Jack's hands should love the illustration for Part 1, which can be viewed on my website, and the other parts are accessed though the previous part (link on Main Page). Alternatively, the book covers and/or the original art can be viewed in the appropriate art galleries on the site (Su's Cover Art or Art by Lightfoot).

A Simple Man 

He was a simple man. Jack O'Neill woke around the same time each morning, about 10 minutes before his alarm went off. He rarely needed that early morning call; it was second nature now, bred from his many years service in the US Air Force. He showered, shaved, and cleaned his teeth, just like any regular guy. He read the paper, often attempting the crossword while he drank his morning coffee and ate a couple of slices of toast - or even when he was shaving, steam and damp curling the edges of the paper and smudging the words. Sometimes he skipped breakfast, waiting until he got to work. Who didn't?

Jack had hardly slept the previous night, but still woke at the same time. Sometimes he wished that internal clock would let him sleep late. Then again, he hated wasting time asleep when he could be doing something, even if it was only nothing. He didn't claim that logic made any sense. However, today wasn't one of those do nothing days. Today he had to be at work by 08:00 for a meeting with the General. He dragged his scrawny backside out of bed and into the bathroom.

Feeling refreshed he made coffee and got dressed while it brewed. Going to his front door and picking up the morning paper, he scoured the headlines. Why didn't newspapers ever print any good news on their front pages? War here, murder there, revolution or coup d'état everywhere. Look inside and you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of peace breaking out in some country you'd never heard of. He sighed and turned to the funny pages. Better. He had his finger on the pulse.

He was a simple man, above average in height at 6 foot 3 and pretty fit for his age. His hair was almost totally grey now, but he hoped it made him look distinguished rather than old. His eyes were deep velvety chocolate brown, piercing, intelligent and alert. He was a little care worn, fraying around the edges perhaps, but that was okay for a man in his early fifties. He could still turn a women's head.

Jack peered at himself in the mirror. Is that what you really look like these days O'Neill? Scary. When did you get old and why haven't you noticed? It's not as if you don't look in the mirror every day. You were shaving less than half an hour ago for crying out loud! Playing let's pretend are you, Jack, trying to ignore it and hope it goes away? It ain't so bad. They say you're as young as you feel. Huh! There goes that knee again. He never had liked clichés.

If he was honest he'd been aware of a downhill slide for a while now. He figured once you get past 50 there was no return. That did not mean giving up, far from it; it simply meant trying harder. Accept it and move on; there's plenty of life in this old dog yet. He smiled at himself. Okay so his knees were a little less than perfect and he was grey and had lines on his face, but he'd pitch himself against a man half his age and have a pretty good chance at beating him.

Jack was wily, dogged and physically fit. The grey and the lines spoke of his experience and life, not incapacity. He believed he had earned those grey hairs and his care worn looks. It was a badge that he could wear with pride. Not only that but, sometimes, it lulled the unwary into a sense of false security. Be it on their own head if they underestimated Jack O'Neill. His life was far from over. Satisfied with that conclusion, he turned away from his image to leave the house.

He was a simple man. He tried to keep up with the gardening but often didn't have time. His job took him away a lot. Sometimes he hired Joe Corleone to keep back the weeds. He hated when it began to look like what the Prince had to hack through to get to Sleeping Beauty's Palace. Come on over to my place and bring your own machete. The name Corleone pleased and amused him. Joe couldn't be a nicer guy and totally unlike the famous Corleones of Godfather fame.

Peering out of the window he noticed the garden was starting to get overgrown again. He wondered whether he might have time to do something with it this coming weekend. Then he considered calling Joe. He'd call. It might be frowned upon if he allowed his garden to take over the neighbourhood. Joe could do it for him and he could sit on his overworked butt and watch.

Skipping breakfast until he got to work, he left the house and was just about to jump into his truck when Mrs Benson from across the street waved sweetly and shouted "Wooee Colonel O'Neill!" If this was the sort of woman whose head he was turning these days, maybe his life was over after all. Surrender now Jack. Waving back to be friendly to his neighbour, he leaped quickly into the truck and started the engine to pre-empt any further contact. Sometimes he thought she watched and waited until he left the house before she left hers. As he drove away he could see her staring after him. Oh puleeze!

He knew he was still attractive to women, he just wasn't sure why. Generally he could tell, and it pleased him that women thought him handsome, maybe even sexy. He'd seen the way some of them looked at him, reacted to him. It was good for his ego, although it was something that had never gone to his head, even when he was a young guy.

Jack always was, and remained to this day, self effacing and modest. He was even a little shy. Many who knew him would never have believed it. That was because not many did know him. He kept Jack O'Neill buried deep and only revealed himself to very close friends. Even then, much of the real O'Neill remained hidden. He would bluff it out, putting on the Jack O'Neill bravado, joking his way out of it... whatever it took. He did it so well that it had become second nature. After all this time maybe it was the real him. People change, evolve. Even in the short time span of their lives they keep evolving and learning. At least he liked to think so. It was as it should be.

He was a simple man. Sometimes he was late for work, not a good habit in the armed forces. But he was dedicated and loyal to his job, and cause. He worked hard and enjoyed the company of his team mates - most of the time. They were also his closest friends. His work was exciting, a challenge, and he would probably stay there for as long as it continued to test him and keep him on his toes. He considered it probable that the only way out was in a big person sized box with a satin lining, assuming they didn't throw him out first. He didn't want to die, or not prematurely, but did not fear it. He was more than willing to sacrifice himself for his country or planet, and it sure beat rotting slowly away from boredom.

Today he was at the SGC way too early, but that suited him fine. Quiet time, assuming nothing went wrong. Seemed he only had to walk out of the lift for something to go amiss. Not today though.

Pretending to do some paperwork he sat back in his chair in the mess hall down in the bowels of the SGC under Cheyenne Mountain. Not many people knew this place even existed, lurking beneath the much more famous NORAD. After all, who doesn't know about an organisation which tracks Santa's sleigh as it travels the world on Christmas Eve? What was that all about anyway? Let's play nice face of Government? Your tax dollar at work. Go figure!

His early morning peace was shattered by the arrival of the rest of his team. There was Major Samantha Carter, his cute but deadly and way too intelligent second in command. Then Doctor Daniel Jackson, geek and all round pain in the butt, but kind of loveable with it. Last but not least, Teal'c, the massive and dependable Jaffa who seemed to know almost everything about everything, except his adopted home planet.

"Good morning Campers!" Jack said, quietly chuckling to himself when he saw all three raise their eyes to the heavens at his overused expression. Sometimes he enjoyed aggravating them, just for the sheer hell of it. They sat around him and acknowledged his greeting, Carter and Daniel babbling away about something incomprehensible while Teal'c remained sternly silent.

"You read the file Jack, for this morning's briefing?" Daniel Jackson asked, a mischievous expression on his face. File? Briefing?

"You know me and paperwork Daniel. Besides, I've got a meeting with Hammond at 08:00."

"The meeting's off Jack. Briefing at 08:30 instead." Daniel looked smug. He was right; Jack knew nothing about the file or the briefing. Some things never change.

"Would you care to enlighten me Doctor Jackson? Obviously I'm not getting all my memos." Jack replied in a sarcastic tone which might have quailed a less resilient beast than the good Doctor.

"I'm sure you must have the file there somewhere Jack."

Daniel responded with equal disdain, eyeing the pile of papers Jack had brought with him to make it look like he was doing something. Carter was suppressing a grin. Son of a... thought Jack.

He was a simple man. He kept pretty active; worked out, jogged, took regular 10 mile hikes as part of his job, and sometimes went a couple of rounds of boxing with his good friend Teal'c. Teal'c was big and strong, seemingly younger than O'Neill but actually many years older; an alien, a Jaffa. If he lasted a couple of rounds against Teal'c, he'd consider himself lucky. Sometimes he substituted the punch bag; it was an easy win.

"08:30 you say? Jack replied, feigning indifference "In that case, I think I might take a bit of time in the gym. Interested in spotting for me T?"

"Indeed O'Neill."

The pair left.

"Jack doesn't need to lift weights Sam, all he has to do is carry that outstanding paperwork around with him wherever he goes." Daniel quipped when they'd gone. Obligingly, Carter laughed. "You know, we trust our lives to that man. Now there's a scary thought." He smiled at his companion.

"Daniel...!" She said, thinking maybe she should be defending her CO.

"It's okay. I trust him, really I do."

"Sure."

"Do."

"Don't start Daniel."

"Do!"

"I think I have something cooking in the lab. I might have left the gas on." She sighed heavily, getting up and leaving him alone. If he was in one of those moods he could be in it on his own.

"Sam?" Daniel called after her. "What did I say?"

He was a simple man. His house was often a little dusty through dereliction of duty; housework duty. Generally it was pretty tidy though as he was that sort of man. However, he grew experiments in his fridge that were worse than Goa'uld larvae to behold. He'd often thought that maybe he should hire a housekeeper as well as a gardener. But then he reasoned that he'd only be running round cleaning up before she came so that he didn't feel too ashamed of the place. That's what other folks did, wasn't it?

"T, do you know about this mission?" Jack asked as he hoisted the weight. Teal'c smiled to himself.

"Indeed I do O'Neill. I read the file."

Was that Jaffa humor? Jack arched an eyebrow at his friend. Teal'c was picking up bad habits from his team mates. So this is what he had to suffer for the rest of his career, was it? Wit and sarcasm from his subordinates?

"So, what's the mission? It's not an overnighter is it T?"

Jack was thinking about the remains of the Chinese take out in his refrigerator. Just for once he'd like to eat up all the leftovers, preferably before they walked out on their own and decided to find a caring owner, or deposited themselves in his trash can.

"I do not believe that is the intention O'Neill."

"Are you gonna let me in on the secret then Teal'c?"

"DanielJackson is most excited. MALP readings indicate the presence of writings that might prove there was once an Asgard populated planet in this galaxy."

"Asgard? In this galaxy? I do believe that might be a worthy mission, T."

"As do I."

"Daniel will no doubt drive us nuts with his over enthusiasm and puppy dog like manner and we won't have anything to do except pace around the perimeter. But what the heck? Asgard? Well I'll be damned!"

"Indeed. I am sure that you will 'be damned' O'Neill." Jack laughed and had to look at the big guy to see if he was joking or not, catching a slight smirk on his face.

"You learn fast, T, way too fast." He replied, pretending to be put out about it. Teal'c merely inclined his head in O'Neill's direction and said nothing.

He was a simple man. He believed that paperwork was a necessary evil, but a bore. Give him a gun and a mission to undertake any day, and he'd do it. Give him a file to read to prepare for the mission and he'd prevaricate. He didn't claim he was perfect, far from it. It could drive both Carter and Daniel to distraction, but Teal'c never seemed bothered by it, although he'd been known to raise an eyebrow on occasion. There again, when was Teal'c bothered by anything much? O'Neill always hoped that his CO, General George Hammond, didn't notice. He got the job done. That's what counted in this man's Air Force.

Hammond was willing to bet that O'Neill hadn't even read the file. The mission looked like a cake walk but Hammond liked his people to be prepared. O'Neill could be infuriating, but he was the best he had, heaven help him. Of course the General didn't mean the heaven help him part. O'Neill wasn't leader of Hammond's premiere team for nothing. There were more important things than paperwork, and Jack was pretty good at most of those. Unfortunately, The Pentagon did so love it's paper; reams of it.

SG-1 filed into the briefing room and Hammond left his office and entered the room just as they were sitting down.

"Alright, Doctor Jackson. I think the floor is yours." He said, succinctly bringing them to order.

"Ummm... yes. Well, these photos were taken by a MALP on P3X-127."

He flicked a switch on the remote in his hand and a picture of a large room appeared, with writings on the wall, although they were unrecognisable in the picture. Ack! Slide show... goody, thought Jack. There was nothing he liked better than pretty pictures.

"Now this room is obviously not Goa'uld and doesn't look very exciting. Daniel continued, "that is until you look more closely at these writings here." He was starting to enthuse, and flicked to another picture, this time a close up of some of the writing. "Now it gets exciting, pretty amazing actually because we have come across this writing before."

"Meaning of life stuff, Daniel?" Jack interrupted. Daniel peered at him crossly over his glasses. Did Jack actually remember the writing from Ernest's planet, or was it pure chance? Whatever the case, he did not welcome the interruption.

"So, Jack, you obviously understand the significance." He said with sarcasm. He enjoyed proving that Jack hadn't read the file. It was a game they played sometimes and Jack's interruption prompted him to play it right now.

"Well of course Daniel. That's Asgard isn't it?" Jack said, looking intelligent and as if he knew it all. "Asgard in our galaxy? Well ain't that something? I'd say that was significant. When do we go?"

Daniel dropped his pointer with surprise, Hammond looked slightly stunned and Carter tittered behind her hand. Daniel looked towards Teal'c accusingly but the Jaffa remained the picture of innocence. Good old Teal'c, he wouldn't give him away. That showed them. Jack liked to keep them on their toes.

He was a simple man. He liked Chinese take out and pizza. Pepperoni and olive on deep pan; chicken in black bean and chilli sauce. Barbecued wieners or steaks were a speciality and he did a good line in marinades and salads to go with. He hated yoghurt with a passion, but loved jello and cake; he could tend towards a sweet tooth. An energy bar or two was generally to be found about his person and he might even share if you asked him nicely.

"Ahhh! Nothing like taking a wormhole to work!" Jack quipped as they exited the other end.

He had to admit that the room they came out in was pretty ordinary, with the exception of the writing. Daniel enthused about the walls, taking video pictures of everything. When Jack and Teal'c found the outer doors, they were amazed to discover a city spread before their eyes, albeit a deserted and partially ruined one. Daniel had kittens after that. It was going to be an overnighter after all; if not longer.

"Can't we just go and let some other team take over from here?" Jack said quietly to Teal'c as they wandered around, checking things out.

"If you wish for DanielJackson never to speak to you again, O'Neill, I believe the answer might be yes."

"And your point is...?"

The corners of Teal'c mouth turned up slightly at O'Neill's wit. It took a bit of getting used to. After all, Teal'c was a Jaffa and they weren't exactly known for their sense of humor. O'Neill's humor was acerbic, mischievous, and a little zany. The Tauri had a saying that sarcasm was the lowest form of wit. Over the years spent in the company of O'Neill, Teal'c had come to appreciate the art of it's use. He believed that the people who had created this saying lacked wit of their own and thus envied those who could wield it effectively. Sometimes O'Neill wielded it very effectively although it could get him into a whole heap of trouble.

"Yeah, I guess he would be a little pissed to miss out." Jack agreed, and then continued, "Come on, let's head back."

Daniel and Carter had found what appeared to be an Asgard version of a library and were excitedly exploring. It wasn't entirely in one piece, but most of it had been protected by the elements.

"Come on folks, time for chow. R&R." Jack said as he and Teal'c walked in the door.

"Jack! Jack! This place is going to keep the SGC, Area 51 and the Pentagon busy for months, if not years."

"Wow, Daniel, I'm excited for ya." Daniel looked up to see the last vestiges of their team leader's cynical smile disappear from his face.

"Why do you always have to do this Jack?"

"What?" Jack replied, with contrived innocence.

"You know what."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't"

"Children please. If you wanna argue can't you go play in the back yard?" Carter said with exasperation. These two could try the patience of a saint.

"Don't be a smart ass Carter. Annual evaluation time looms." Jack bore an amused smile and waggled a finger at her.

"Yes Sir." Carter replied smartly, grinning at her CO, who returned the smile. The Colonel often said that, but she knew his threat was idle and it had become a little joke they shared. Besides, evaluation time was a full six months away.

They all sat down to eat together. At least they might have a little comfort on this planet. They were indoors, there were chairs; weird Asgard shaped ones, but chairs nonetheless. This place was old, going way back to before the Asgard genetic pool had stagnated. The Asgard of this planet were a lot bigger than their descendants. Teal'c, however, was too large to sit comfortably in one of the chairs. Jack had always suspected there must be a down side to having so much muscle.

"They don't have chicken with black bean and chilli sauce flavoured MRE's in there by any chance, do they?" Jack said, waving towards the packages that Daniel was taking out of their gear.

"There's macaroni and cheese. That tastes a bit like chicken." Daniel quipped.

"Not funny Danny boy. I have a stack of leftover chicken with black bean and chilli sauce at home. I was looking forward to that."

"Not turned green yet than Sir?" Carter ventured.

"Did I say Evaluation earlier? I meant six month review."

Carter nearly laughed aloud at the expression on her CO's face. She coughed to cover her amusement.

"Yes Sir." She said and pretended to look uncomfortable, at which point Jack nearly broke his composure with a laugh of his own.

He was a simple man. He could relax for hours merely through holding a long pole over water - commonly known as fishing. He had a small place in Minnesota that was his retreat. It had belonged to his family but he had no kin left anymore. It was located in beautiful countryside and overlookedone of the many hundreds of lakes. Jack liked to think of it as his lake, but in reality he only owned a small part of it's large shoreline and some mooring space. It was peaceful there.

As he ate, Jack tuned out his companions and daydreamed about his cabin. He was due vacation time and planning to go in a couple of weeks. Although he could live with his own company, sometimes he felt lonesome and he dearly wished one of his team would accompany him there.

Teal'c had gone fishing there with him once and hated every minute of it. That saddened Jack a little because he liked the big Jaffa; his presence alone could be a comfort. Jack didn't need to talk much; talking wasn't his big thing. He did, however, like the silent companionship of someone's presence. He missed that.

As for the other two; Daniel and Carter were always too busy studying this or experimenting with that. They both needed to get a life. Sometimes he wished they'd come up with better excuses for not going with him. It might make him believe that it wasn't his company they were avoiding. He wasn't such a bad guy to spend time with, was he?

Okay, so he could be a belligerent pain in the mikta, but he was their pain in the mikta, wasn't he? He had to admit that he had a slightly wacky sense of humor and knew both Carter and Daniel found it irksome on occasion, although Teal'c was generally inscrutable. He could make Carter laugh but Daniel had a tendency to take things far too seriously for his own good. And Teal'c? Well, he was a Jaffa. Sometimes Jack felt unappreciated.

A break at the cabin brought peace to his chaotic, busy and dangerous life. However, sometimes a man could only take so much solitude before he yearned for the company of his fellow man. He regretted that he had no one to share his life with.

He was a simple man. Single after a marriage which had lasted 10 years, sometimes he felt lonely. Most of the time his marriage had been pretty good but occasionally it was difficult. Isn't that what marriage was about, the rough and the smooth? The compromises? He sorely missed the friendship and companionship. He had loved his wife, adored his son.

Despite numerous temptations he had remained a loyal and faithful husband, notwithstanding their long separations due to his job. He missed the sex, and the physical contact, while he was gone but was an honorable man and deeply believed in the vows he had made on his wedding day. The cabin had once been a happy place. The ghosts of Sara and Charlie still haunted it.

After Charlie died his life fell apart, and his marriage. Sara had left him to kill himself if that was what he really wanted. She gave up on him. Why couldn't she understand what he had been going through? Jack had left his loaded gun in the house, right where his own son could find it. Charlie shot himself with it and nothing could save him. The sight of his son's dead body was the worst thing he had ever seen in his life and Jack O'Neill had seen some pretty awful things.

He'd liked sharing his life. Companionable silences were his best moments. You can't have companionable silences without companions. He missed the greeting kiss, hugging, and holding hands; the intimacy. It was these simple things that he missed most of all. He wished for the inconsequential chatter, playfulness, and even the arguments. It was these simple things that he yearned for most of all. His wife and son had been bright sparks in his often bleak world.

It wasn't really about Sara; that was over years ago. It wasn't totally about Charlie either; he was long gone. He sure could do with someone. He'd like to do a bit more sharing. Or maybe he was too much of a grumpy old man for that now, set in his ways. That was a dismal prospect.

A blackness clutched at Jack. No, not now, go away, he told it, I'm on a mission. Can't you wait until I get home?

"Colonel?" Carter knelt in front of her CO.

"Huh?" O'Neill broke from his thought at her voice.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

"I... Sure, Carter I'm fine." Great work O'Neill, he chastised himself, ever alert.

"Colonel, you look a little pale Sir. Are you sure?" She touched his hand and looked him in the eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine Carter, really." He whispered, patting her hand. She nodded acknowledgement, with a faint but worried smile on her lips, and sat back down.

Carter thought the Colonel looked pale. The pallor had appeared quite suddenly and he'd zoned out. She looked towards Teal'c, who nodded. He was telling her that he, too, would keep a wary eye on O'Neill. Teal'c never seemed to miss anything and, not for the first time, she was grateful for that.

He was a simple man. His whole adult life had been spent in the US Air Force. He'd joined when young, worked hard, and trained hard; played pretty hard too before he'd settled down. It had paid off by providing him with a varied and interesting, if not somewhat checkered, career. It had also made him a Colonel, and he'd earned it.

Now he was a leader and could kick butt, just like the guy in charge always did; like his had been kicked, and continued to be sometimes. In the Armed Forces, there was always someone above you to kick your butt; everyone reported to someone up the chain of command. That is unless you were the President of the United States. The only thing that could kick his butt was God, or the United States Congress.

Jack had never got on with the establishment when he was a kid, so wasn't sure how he'd managed to get along so well in the USAF. He just fit; it was one of life's unsolved mysteries. Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force. It had a kind of ring to it. From day one he'd known he was home. Jack O'Neill was a warrior. He had a noble spirit, was an honourable man, but was also quite deadly. It was a talent.

If it weren't for his lack of reverence he might have been a General by now. The politics pissed him off. He didn't want to play in their yard. When younger he'd been pretty wild and the Air Force had reigned him in. The Armed Forces gave Jack the opportunity to free his feral nature in an environment that was rigid and disciplined. For him the seemingly contradictory combination worked, but you don't remove the wild nature of a wolf merely by keeping it caged. It was a risk inherent in arming men and teaching them to kill. They might turn round and bite you on the ass.

Jack had never exactly bitten their asses, but he wasn't above making himself a pain by nibbling around the edges. He could be a thorn in the side of even the most righteous of men. He was pretty sure that Hammond was frequently exasperated by him, although he cut Jack a lot of slack. Jack felt lucky that Hammond was his CO. He'd rarely reported to a better man, if ever.

That respect seemed to be mutual, which pleased Jack immensely. To have the respect of a man like Hammond was worth a heck of a lot. It was one of the things that kept him in this job. He didn't know how long he could have worked for a fool like General Bauer.

The man had actually been more concerned about how the paperwork looked than getting to know his own people. Hammond knew everyone on the base, could remember the names of their wives, husbands or children. He trusted most of his people to get on with their jobs, and do it effectively. If they didn't they'd be out on their butt; the SGC couldn't afford to carry either the dim-witted or the indolent.

Bauer had almost got them all killed by not trusting his team. He'd ignored Carter at his peril and come close to annihilating Earth more effectively than the Goa'uld had - so far. Hammond knew better than to underestimate Carter. Bauer hadn't bothered himself to dig deeper than the crap "they'd" shovelled at him. Hadn't he read any of the reports? Anyone reading those could see that Carter was usually right. It had been a poor command decision. The man even had the nerve to break up SG-1.

Jack had been more than pleased with the outcome of his little escapade with Harry Maybourne back then. Getting the best of Kinsey had been sweet, even if the method left a sour aftertaste. Jack might be a killer but he had a conscience. Threatening the lives of US senators was not something he should be proud of. In Kinsey's case he could be tempted to make an exception. And he had got George reinstated, so had triumphed.

He was a simple man. His marksmanship was excellent and he was quite proud of that. At one time he had won almost every competition he was able to enter. It was a skill he used to deadly effect against the enemies of his country and, ultimately, his planet. He'd been known to say that the best diplomat he knew was a fully loaded gun.

He also said that that guns didn't kill people, people killed people - however, a gun helped; if you just stood there and yelled bang, you wouldn't kill too many people. Actually, he had stolen that line from a British comedian called Eddie Izzard, but no one at the SGC knew that. If it ever came up he planned to say that the comic must have stolen it from him. Besides, he was pretty sure that he and Eddie Izzard intended it to mean two entirely different things.

Jack was feeling kind of weird. Carter was right to be concerned about him. He did a fair to middling job of covering it up but wasn't fooling his team. He believed he had a slight temperature, and was a little light headed. His head ached and he downed painkillers with his rations, carefully hiding his action from the rest of his team. He realised that Teal'c had noticed, although the big guy said nothing. Was there anything the Jaffa didn't notice?

"Okay, lets get back to work kids." Jack said. "What was that?" He'd heard a noise and looked at Teal'c to confirm his suspicions.

"I do believe we are not alone O'Neill."

"Friend or foe?" Asked Jack.

"I suggest we consider them foe until we know differently." Teal'c replied.

It was good to commune with a fellow warrior. On this they were likeminded. Shoot first and ask questions later, if necessary. Daniel came from another school of thought. It was the get involved, talk to them and get yourself captured, shot or otherwise severely harmed school. Jack didn't hold with that line of thinking.

"The question is whether they know we're here."

Jack got up, feeling a little achy, and carefully sneaked over to a window, ensuring he couldn't be seen from the outside. Hell, it was Jaffa! He could see three of them from where he stood but guessed there might be more. He signalled to his team to be quite and get the gear. Re-joining them he picked up his own gear.

"It's Jaffa. They must know someone's here." Said Jack in a low voice, "If they came through the gate they'll have seen the MALP."

He looked towards Teal'c who raised an eyebrow in surprise. He'd heard no ships, which must mean that O'Neill was right and they'd come through the Stargate. Did not this address come from the knowledge of the Ancients that O'Neill had programmed into the SGC computer? How had they found this place?

O'Neill signalled that they follow him, away from the Jaffa. He wanted to get somewhere higher so they could see what was happening.

They headed towards a tower that he and Teal'c had looked at earlier, trying to figure out it's purpose. It seemed to serve none that they could see. However, it was more than fit for a recon of Jaffa activity and strength. He and Teal'c climbed to the top, leaving Carter and Daniel to guard their six.

The stairs were heavy going for Jack. His legs felt leaden, his breathing laboured and a sore throat was beginning to plague him along with the sore head. He was definitely coming down with something but he dismissed it. There was no time for that, he had to keep going; they were in danger here.

He and Teal'c studied their enemy from atop the tower. There appeared to be about a dozen of them. A couple guarded the entrance to the gate while the others looked around the city. It appeared they were unaware of SG-1's presence. Jack corrected that opinion when he saw a Jaffa watching Sam and Daniel from the shadows of a ruin not far away from the Tower. Sam would never spot him from where she stood, but he had a perfect view of her and was raising his staff weapon. Hell!

Jack lifted his P-90 and aimed at the Jaffa, hitting him straight through the breast plate. That got him. The P-90 was very effective against Jaffa armour, which was why SG-1 tended to favour the weapon. He was pleased to note that he hadn't lost that O'Neill touch with a gun; his aim was as good as ever, even if he was feeling unwell. However, the P-90 made way too much noise, a sniper rifle would have been better, but he didn't have that luxury on this mission. Who knew they would need it?

He was a simple man. He figured he'd pulled his weight in the Air Force, done a fair share; maybe more than fair. The gun was not the only weapon he had at his disposal; he was a master of many, including knives and his own bare hands. The deadliest of all, however, was the sharp brain that resided in his head. His tactical skills had saved many lives, including his own, and won him a large array of medals. Many would consider him a courageous man, although he would never truly believe that of himself, even if he might say so in jest.

Jack was about to say something to Teal'c about making a hasty getaway when the big man spoke.

"O'Neill."

Jack followed Teal'c's gaze skyward. Incoming. There was a ship up there somewhere. These Jaffa on the ground hadn't come by ship had they? Surely they would have heard something. Looking down he could see Jaffa heading in their direction.

"Carter." He spoke into his radio, "Get yourselves out of here, and we'll catch up."

"Sir?" She questioned.

"Get going. The bogey men are coming your way. Not to mention that the ships currently landing might be a problem. Go!"

"Yes sir."

He leaned over the tower to watch the direction his team mates took and then signalled Teal'c to get down in case they were spotted.

"We can't stay here T. We'd be sitting ducks. Nowhere to run."

"I concur. We must leave." He looked at his commanding officer with concern. O'Neill was white as a sheet, and sweating. "O'Neill?" he touched Jack's arm.

"I'll be alright Teal'c. I can't afford to be sick right now. Let's go."

He had a bit of difficulty moving because of his aching joints. What had he been thinking this morning about getting old? He sure felt it right now, but somehow didn't believe this was an age related thing. As he got up he saw something glinting out of the corner of his eye, away from the city and a long way off. What was that? Putting his binoculars to his eyes he took a closer look.

"Um Teal'c? It looks like there is another city over there. That one looks a bit newer than this. In fact, I'd say it was occupied."

It was Teal'c's turn to follow the gaze of his team mate.

"I believe you may be correct O'Neill. Most interesting."

"You don't think it's Asgard do ya?"

"Is it possible?"

"Dunno T. I guess we don't have time to find out right now. Let's move."

He struggled down the stairs. Teal'c was tempted to help his friend but considered that in this confined space he might be more of a hindrance. By the time they got down the stairs, a number of Jaffa were searching near their location. Having found their dead colleague, they were looking for his attacker. They could have some problems if they got into a fire fight from this position.

They didn't have much option as a Jaffa spotted them and fired. All too soon, a number of them had O'Neill and Teal'c pinned down at the base of the tower. Although they could dodge the staff blasts behind the thick walls, they were not going to be able to hold out forever. He considered calling for Carter and Daniel as reinforcements but quickly dismissed that, not wanting to risk the whole team.

The two warriors fought valiantly, their deadly accuracy far superior to that of their foes, even if their numbers were not. They could see quite a few dead Jaffa from where they hid. There goes another one, Jack gloated to himself as another shot from his P-90 confirmed his skill again; you won't take us without a fight!

He heard a noise behind him and turned to look.

"Um... Teal'c? That doorway wasn't there before was it?"

"Indeed not O'Neill."

"Okay. I think it might be time to see what's in the basement." He said, nodding towards the stairs that beckoned from beyond the magically appearing doorway. They definitely had not been there earlier.

Jack considered whether this might be some sort of trap set by the whoever the locals were. Alternatively, these people might be trying to help the Colonel and his team mate. When you were out of options there was often only one way forward. For them it was the stairs, and face the consequences of whatever was down there. While they lived there was always hope, a chance to turn the tables. This was O'Neill 101, if anyone cared to study it.

"I'll take point T."

Throwing a grenade out towards the Jaffa, to briefly cover their retreat, O'Neill cautiously started off down the stairs with Teal'c on his six. If they were off to meet danger, he ensured it was him that would meet it first, giving Teal'c a chance to make an escape and re-join his other team mates.

The doorway closed behind them, effectively protecting them from pursuit, while leaving them imprisoned within the walls of the tower. No going back now. O'Neill was confident they'd find a way out of this somehow. As long as he was breathing there was a chance although, admittedly, his breathing could do with a little help at the moment.

He was determined not to succumb to this illness. While their lives were in danger he had to keep on his toes and concentrate. He willed himself downwards, legs slightly wobbly, sweat dripping into his eyes. The headache and sore throat had worsened in the last few minutes. Aspirin had not helped.

The stairs were suffused with light from an unknown source. Carter would no doubt waffle on about it at length if she was here. O'Neill knew he probably should let her and Daniel know where they were. First, however, they should confront whatever danger might greet them at the bottom of these stairs. Using the radio right now might not be the sensible choice to make.

When they got to the bottom a passageway greeted them. It, too, was well lit and appeared to go on for a long way. Apparently there was no one around but O'Neill was not going to let down his guard. That way lay much blood, and possibly death. His P-90 poised for immediate action, he inched his way down the passageway warily. To his surprise a head popped out from a hidden doorway. It was a lone Asgard.

He was a simple man. He was fundamentally loyal and would do anything to help his friends and allies, even at the risk of his own life. His adulthood had been forged in making sacrifices for others. That was the way of a warrior and a lesson he had learned well early on in his career. The life of each of your team mates is important and not to be given up lightly - never leave anyone behind. He had gone way above and beyond the call of duty to keep faith with that credo.

Carter and Daniel wove in and out of buildings and shadows in an effort to avoid the invaders. She wondered what the Goa'uld were doing here and how they had found this place. As it was an address from the records of the ancients she was surprised that they knew of it. She guessed it was irrelevant now, they were here, but she was very curious as to what they wanted as this could be important.

The numbers of Jaffa on the ground were steadily increasing. No doubt the gate would be very well guarded by now. This could cause SG-1 a few difficulties. Even when Hammond decided they were way overdue, which wouldn't be for a while yet, once he opened the wormhole and saw a place full of Jaffa he could not risk sending in backup or rescue. SG-1 were on their own; at least for now. They may have to find somewhere to lie low and outwait the visitors. It was of some concern as the Goa'uld could be here for months for all they knew. The increasing numbers of Jaffa told her something serious was going on. They would know this place was Asgard and would no doubt give much to learn the secrets of their ancient nemesis.

"Let's hunker down here a while Daniel. I'll try to contact the Colonel."

They hid behind a wall, crouching so they could not be seen. Sam tried the radio but got nothing but static. Damn! She hoped the Colonel and Teal'c were alright. She had great faith in their abilities but against these numbers they were all at risk. Also she hadn't liked how the Colonel had looked before they parted. The colour of his skin was all wrong.

However, she knew he would find a way of getting his team back together and to safety come hell or high water. It always comforted her to know that he was around, and on her side. Her respect for his abilities as a leader of men, and a brilliant strategic thinker, knew no bounds. He would think of something. Between the four of them they always did. They always got home.

That confidence did not however quell her fear that he and Teal'c might be dead or dying out there somewhere, or captured.

"Let's rest here a while Daniel."

She pondered what to do next. Daniel was no great fighter, although he could come through when the chips were down. The Colonel had trained him well, ensuring that he knew how to use a number of different weapons and tactics effectively. Daniel was a brave man and it was good to have him on your side, but in a fire fight she would rather take the Colonel or Teal'c any day.

"I think we need to get out of this city Daniel."

"Probably, but I wish we knew where Jack and Teal'c were."

"They'll be okay. The Colonel will find us." She said with confidence. There seemed little point in voicing any of her doubts. Besides, she knew that, as long as he was capable and had breath in his body, that confidence was warranted.

As far as she could see, their current position seemed clear. Now might be a good time to make a getaway. Signalling Daniel, she led him out from behind the wall, running quickly and stealthily towards the outskirts of the city. The gate was in the opposite direction and she was unhappy about that, but knew this way was their only option.

Pressing against a wall, Daniel behind her, she peeked around the corner to get the lay of the land. Damn! There were Jaffa round there. She signalled Daniel to keep totally silent and unmoving. They would have to find another way around, but she didn't dare risk any noise at the moment. If Teal'c was anything to go by, Jaffa had superb senses and might hear any movement.

She felt Daniel move beside her and turned to chide him but immediately saw why he had moved. A Jaffa had come across their position from the opposite direction. His staff weapon was pointed right at them. Daniel was raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Put down your weapons." The Jaffa said, waving the staff threateningly.

Well, she guessed she ought to do that then, and she carefully lowered her P-90 to the ground, raising her own arms to mimic Daniel's gesture. Live to fight another day; sometimes it was the only solution to the immediate problem. The Colonel would find them, she had compete faith. He would figure a way out, if he was still alive, but his death was not an option she was prepared to examine too closely.

TBC Part 2


	2. A Simple Man P2

A Simple Man Part 2 - See Part 1 for introduction and disclaimer 

He was a simple man. Diplomacy was not his biggest strength. It was not something required in his career, which had focussed on special ops activity ever since the Air Force had discovered his talent for the covert. When he wasn't required to be clandestine, he liked to think he was a straightforward, up front kind of a guy. However, this meant he often put his big feet right in it with both allies and enemies. He left diplomacy up to those who were abled, or cared.

"Um... hello?" Jack said tentatively, trying to look friendly and lowering his weapon slightly, although he remained alert and ready. "I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, this is Teal'c." Teal'c bowed slightly, also remaining alert.

Asgard? This was strange. Asgard in their galaxy and they weren't even aware of it. Was his old buddy Thor keeping secrets? This city was clearly Asgard, but even more obviously dead and unused. That other place they had seen from the tower, on the other hand, was presumably alive, as he'd suspected. He wondered why the Asgard had not simply made the Goa'uld disappear, in the time honoured Asgard way. Bring on the bright lights you guys.

"Where are you from?" The Asgard asked, keeping himself partially hidden.

There was something different about this Asgard to any others O'Neill had encountered. The facial features were not quite like Thor's, and the color seemed a strange kind of brown, rather then the Roswell grey they were used to. This peaked Jack's interest.

"Earth. We are Tauri."

"Tauri?" The Asgard seemed surprised. "The one you call Teal'c, he is not of the Tauri. He is Jaffa, is he not?"

The Asgard was wary, but did not seem afraid of this fact. Jack was tempted to come back with a witty quip in response but refrained. They could do with the help of the little grey guys around about now.

"He's with me. He's a good Jaffa and fights against the Goa'uld by my side." Jack replied.

"A good Jaffa? Fights the Goa'uld?" The Asgard seemed taken aback by this concept but decided to trust his own instincts and step out from his hiding place. "I am Aurvandil. " Jack cursed that Daniel wasn't there to tell him if it meant anything.

"Aurvandil the Bold, I am most pleased to meet you." Said Teal'c smiling, and bowing low to ensure the Asgard did not perceive him as a threat. Jack's eyes widened. "I have read of Norse Mythology O'Neill. It is most interesting." Well, Teal'c was nothing if not full of surprises.

"You have heard my name?" Aurvandil said, seemingly pleased.

"Indeed." Teal'c replied, simply. "Your kind are... legend amongst the Tauri."

"Um, yeah, well... Arvendile, why are you Asgard allowing a Goa'uld to take over your planet?" Jack asked, getting quickly to the point.

"I am sure we will not tolerate it for long. They have not yet harmed us. My people probably watch and wait to see what happens. And that is Aurvandil, Colonel Jack O'Neill."

"Yeah, sure... whatever. Colonel O'Neill will do fine for me."

They approached each other and Jack saw that the body of this Asgard was also slightly different from the others he had seen. This was all very puzzling, and Daniel would no doubt be fascinated, but they didn't have time to go into that right now.

A wave of nausea hit him out of the blue to add to his burden. Teal'c saw him stagger slightly and took his arm to help him maintain his balance.

"O'Neill?" He looked closely at his leader and did not like what he saw at all. O'Neill's color had worsened and Teal'c wondered what was wrong with him.

"Thanks Teal'c old buddy. I'll be okay." Said Jack stubbornly. Teal'c nodded but resolved to stick very closely to his leader.

"You are unwell, Colonel O'Neill?" Enquired Aurvandil. "We could return to my city, my people might be able to help you."

He was a simple man. He did not have many friends, but those he did were normally as loyal and abiding as he was and his team were the best of them. It gave him comfort to know that they were there for him if needed. On his days off he did not call on their services that often, relying on himself, despite the sometimes overwhelming isolation he could feel.

It was entirely different when he worked with them as part of a team. Each person was like another arm or leg on whom he relied and in whom he had total faith. These extensions to his own body and mind had saved lives as often as he had, particularly his, and deserved equal credit for their victories

Carter and Daniel were thrown on the ground in front of a big Jaffa.

"You are of the Tauri, Major Samantha Carter and Doctor Daniel Jackson, if I am not mistaken. If you are here, then Colonel O'Neill and the Shol'va will be close by. You will tell me where to find them."

Hey it was nice to be famous but it could have it's downside.

"I don't think so." Carter replied defiantly. Daniel thought she sounded a little like Jack as she spoke.

"Oh but you will... eventually." Said the Jaffa. These wretched Jaffa were always so over confident. It was predictable. They shouldn't let themselves get so predictable. Both this and the over confidence were a weakness that SG-1 had exploited to their advantage.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know. We got separated."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"I don't care whether you believe it or not." She answered.

The Jaffa looked up at the others who had brought them both here.

"Keep looking. Meanwhile, I will question the prisoners."

The other Jaffa bowed and left. That shortened the odds, thought Carter. However, she was aware they were in the middle of a sea of Jaffa. Escape could be difficult. The Colonel would have a plan; she was sure of it. He probably didn't even realise they had been captured yet. Any time now he would contact her, for all the good that would do them.

The Jaffa had a nasty sneer on his face. These guys certainly have a good line in those, she thought. He blasted her with his pain stick and it felt like a large jolt of electricity running through her body. She fell to the floor in agony, her eyes and mouth spewing light.

"Stop it!" Daniel cried. For crying out loud Daniel, Carter thought, haven't you learned anything from Jack? Don't show weakness.

"It upsets you that I hurt her? Then perhaps you will tell me where the rest of SG-1 are." He blasted Carter again and Daniel cursed himself for his stupidity. "It's a simple question, Doctor Jackson, I am sure you do not wish to see your colleague suffer." His sneer widened; he was clearly enjoying this moment. "If you do not tell me, you will tell my master when he arrives, of that you can be sure. So put your friend out of her misery. I could kill her quickly. Just tell me where they are."

He blasted Carter for a third time and Daniel wondered just how much of that thing the human body could take. Could he talk his way out of this, or at last buy them a temporary reprieve?

"The last we saw of them was by the Tower." Daniel offered. "Jack and Teal'c were at the top and we waited downstairs."

He was sure Sam was unconscious and reached over to touch her. She didn't move. I hope she's alright, he thought.

"She will recover. But when she does she will not like what greets her." The Jaffa said, threateningly. "We searched the tower and they are not there."

That's a relief, thought Daniel. The only upside to this whole thing was the knowledge that Jack and Teal'c remained at large.

"But you must know where they went. You surely arranged a meeting place?" The Jaffa pressed.

"Well actually, no."

"Again, you expect me to believe your lies. No matter, we have time to spare. I will enjoy making your companion suffer while you watch Doctor Jackson. Make no mistake. You will tell me."

Carter pretended to remain unconscious and pain wracked her body as she lay there, perfectly still. How did the Colonel stand this pain? He'd suffered a lot of it over their history of run-ins with the Goa'uld. He never gave in. It was an admirable trait. Just then the radio came to life.

"Carter, Daniel, you there? What's your situation?" O'Neill's voice crackled and the Jaffa smiled triumphantly.

"You really should tell him, Doctor Jackson. Shouldn't one keep one's master informed of all things?" Daniel groaned a response. What now?

He was a simple man. He could be obstinate, refusing help when he needed it most of all. He didn't do illness or injury well, was impatient of recovery, yet had spent more time in the SGC infirmary than any other single member of the SGC with the exception of Sgt. Siler. He refused to give in to ill health, stubbornly fighting every inch of the way, and defeating it, although not always before it seemed about to defeat him.

"I'm fine." Jack replied to the diminutive Asgard, when clearly he was far from it. Teal'c wondered if he imagined that O'Neill's condition was worsening. Meanwhile, Jack was far too concerned about their current situation to let himself be overcome by a simple illness. "I have two friends out there that might need help." He said, looking upwards at the ceiling.

"I know Colonel O'Neill. We watched your arrival with interest. I was curious, so came to see for myself. But then the Jaffa arrived, so I stayed down here. I will be in trouble when I get home. They don't like me playing here."

Playing? What was the little guy talking about?

"I'd really like to find the rest of my team. Perhaps we should go back up there." Jack suggested.

"I would advise against it, Colonel O'Neill," Replied Aurvandil "You are greatly outnumbered.

Jack touched his radio, speaking into it.

"Carter, Daniel, you there? What's your situation?" At first he received only static so he tried again. "Carter? Daniel? Come in."

"Um, Jack?" O'Neill was pleased to hear the voice of Daniel. At least they were still alive.

"Daniel? Where's Carter. What's going on?"

"Jack, we've been captured." Jack looked at Teal'c, his near impassive expression hiding a deep concern. "They want to know where you are. This Jaffa here seems determined to hurt Sam until I tell him."

Jack groaned inwardly. Hell! Then another voice came over the radio.

"If you do not give yourselves up within one Tauri hour one of your friends will die, O'Neill. I will let you choose which one."

The radio went dead. Dammit!

"Right, that's it Aurvandil," He got the name right this time. "Open this thing up and let us out of here." He moved towards the stairs but his legs gave out under him. "Umm... do you mind if I sit down for a while?" Jack asked as he collapsed on the floor. Teal'c rushed to his side.

"O'Neill? Are you alright?"

"I guess not." Replied Jack, softly.

This had to happen now? Two of his team mates were in immediate danger and he was helpless. Exhaustion was swiftly overcoming him, the aches in his muscles and joints rendering him almost useless. His head throbbed with pain and his throat felt like he'd swallowed a pack of razor blades.

"It is time to act!" Stated Aurvandil, mysteriously, and they were bathed in bright light.

When Jack looked around they were surrounded by what seemed to be a sea of Asgard faces. He could just about make them out through his blurred vision and realised that there were only two of them; his eyes were playing tricks on him. They must be in the other city. Asgard transporter technology. Sweet! Now they could do the same thing for Carter and Daniel.

"Aurvandil where have you been? Who do you bring into our midst? You bring Jaffa?"

"This one is an enemy of our enemy."

"So they say. We must teach Aurvandil to be less trusting of strangers." Said one of them to the other.

"The other is of the Tauri. Colonel O'Neill. He is ill and needs our help. The Jaffa is called Teal'c." Aurvandil's words ran on excitedly, "their friends have been captured by the bad Jaffa. They need our help too."

"Alright Aurvandil, enough! Go to your room, we will speak of this later."

"But Mum...!"

"You should not argue with your mother, Aurvandil. Now do as you are told."

"Oh please dad, please let me stay! Colonel O'Neill is my friend."

The two Asgard who had spoken looked at each other and nodded.

"We named you well Aurvandil the Bold. Alright, you may stay for a short while. But do not think you have heard the last of this." One of them said.

Once again, O'Neill was struck by the dissimilarity of these Asgard to those he knew. These guys were a lot bigger, for starters. Bigger than Aurvandil too. Mum? Dad? What the hell is going on? They were his last thoughts as he sank into oblivion.

He was a simple man. He'd always loved and got on well with children. His own son had adored him and so had all his friends. His job kept him away from his family far more than he would have liked. He had wanted to see more of his son growing up; missed a lot of important things like first steps, school plays, sports events. Work had often caused him to miss his son's birthday, despite his best efforts. He regretted that.

Nowadays he seemed to attract the young to him like a magnet. He had encountered many in his time with the SGC, most of who had tried to adopt him as a substitute parent. It flattered his ego but left him with a heavy heart because they always reminded him of Charlie. It was many years since Charlie had died, but that did not mean he could forget - or forgive himself for his son's demise.

Jack woke up on something that might be described as a couch. He wouldn't call it that.

"Colonel O'Neill!" He recognised the excited voice of Aurvandil. "Look, he's awake again."

Jack would have loved nothing better than to lie there all day but recalled that Carter and Daniel were in the hands of the bad guys and sat up. The resulting dizziness nearly caused him to pass out again but he fought it and won a temporary victory.

"How long was I out?" He asked his companion.

"A matter of minutes O'Neill." Teal'c answered.

"Carter... Daniel."

"I am aware." Of course he was. Think, Jack, think.

"I have called for our doctors to come and examine you Colonel O'Neill. In the meantime, I am Odin and this is Idun. We are Aurvandil's parents."

Parents? Jack knew that Asgard couldn't reproduce, so how was this possible? However, he had more pressing concerns.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm sure, but my team..."

"They are in danger and you would like us to help you?"

"That's a plan, sure."

"That may not be possible, Colonel O'Neill. We need to determine who is friend and who is foe."

O'Neill groaned in frustration. Did he now have to prove himself to another set of Asgard? Thor would have helped.

"And just how long have you folks been out of touch with reality? This is a Goa'uld we're talking about here." He felt helpless and his anger was at boiling point as a result. These Asgard must surely have the technology to do something? "You don't think of them as an enemy?" He asked, totally perplexed.

"Our generation have never encountered the Goa'uld. We do not wish to make enemies."

"So in the meantime you'll just let my team get hurt or killed? Well thanks for nothing, but I can't allow that to happen. So send us back to the city and Teal'c and I will think of something."

"Please help them!" Begged Aurvandil. "Colonel O'Neill is my friend."

"You reached that conclusion very quickly, my little one. You are too young to make such judgements. What if you are wrong?" Asked Idun.

"But I'm not wrong mum. Colonel O'Neill is a good man. Can't you see it?"

Jack was pleased at the little guy's faith in him and wondered what it was about the young that saw that in him when many adults didn't.

"We need time to make that judgement, Aurvandil." Odin intervened.

"Time is something we haven't got!" Cried O'Neill in frustration.

"Indeed." Teal'c concurred. "Our friends remain in danger while you argue. So allow us to help them by sending us back."

"Colonel O'Neill is obviously not up to that task. He is ill." Odin stated in a matter of fact tone. "You would risk his life to save that of your friends?"

"Hey, that's what I do best." Jack intervened. He had to confess he wasn't feeling up to it, but he was still breathing and his heart was beating. He'd use his last breath and heartbeat to save them if necessary.

He was a simple man. People thought him honorable and brave. To him, honorable was just a way you behaved without even thinking about it; a state of being. Bravery was merely a consequence of his passion for life and he held an unquenchable desire for truth, justice, and what he considered as 'the right thing'.

A very passionate man, in every sense of the word, his demeanour frequently hid that passion and he'd been accused of being severe, cold, distant and sometimes morose. The truth was that he wouldn't allow his passion to cloud his dispassion, and his view of 'the right thing' was not always the same as other people's.

Conversely, he was often considered too fiery and fervent. Go figure! So what that he was forceful, and could be quick to anger? He believed that the universe often continued to allow evil because it didn't get angry enough, so he had to feel sufficient anger to make up for that lack of it.

"Our enemies are our friends until they prove that they are enemies." Odin said.

"This is a philosophy that could get you all killed." Jack said. "The Asgard I know consider the Goa'uld as their enemy."

"You know Asgard?"

"Well sure. Some of my best friends are Asgard." Teal'c raised an eyebrow but said nothing to O'Neill's insertion of sarcastic wit. He knew that O'Neill was desperate to help Carter and Doctor Jackson and would use any tactic at his disposal. O'Neill no longer appeared to be angry, but icily calm.

"We knew you were of the Tauri when you came to our planet. This is of interest to us and we wanted to see what you did while you were here."

"So you have been observing us." Teal'c stated.

"Yes. When the Jaffa arrived we wondered if you might be their allies. We know they are an ancient enemy of our people so this was of major concern, particularly as you are a Jaffa. However, this old enemy may no longer be the enemy of the Asgard. We need to know."

"Well believe me, they are not here to make peace, Odin." Jack responded. "They still are the enemy of your people."

"So you say, but they have not proved themselves our enemy, only yours. Perhaps we should have intervened earlier." Yeah, that might have been nice, thought Jack. "That you know of other Asgard is of interest to us also. Will you tell me about them?"

"Look, Odin, I'd love to chat about this and that but in the meantime my friends are dying out there. So can we forget the small talk and do something?" Said Jack, not caring much about the rest. Just get them safe and I can relax and chat all you like, he thought. Every action and word was a strain in his currently ravaged body and mind. Odin nodded his head in what Jack hoped was an affirmative.

Suddenly Jack was overcome by a fit of coughing, which racked at his body, giving him chest pains, while doing nothing to help alleviate the daggers that were obviously stuck in his throat. Teal'c rushed to his friend's side, trying to assist. Odin looked on, apparently also concerned, but as the coughing died down, he walked over to what Jack recognised as an Asgard equivalent of a computer terminal. He'd had some experience with one of those things. He spoke into it in what Jack recalled as something sounding like Asgard. He'd heard the language before although understood none of it.

"It is probably time to do something to resolve the current situation." Odin said, turning to face Jack. "I will give you the benefit of the doubt and save your friends, for now. One of our people will talk to these Jaffa, or this Goa'uld to determine their intentions."

"Yeah, you knock yourselves out." Jack said, relieved that something positive was going to happen at last, but cynical of the Asgard desire to talk to the enemy. Screw them! All he cared about for now was the safety of his team. The Asgard might learn a hard lesson if they sent someone to speak to these guys, but maybe they needed to. He just hoped they had the technology to defeat them when the Goa'uld attacked this city, which was inevitable.

"Your friends are here." Said Odin and the pair appeared in a blinding white light. Carter was stretched out over the floor, seemingly unconscious, while Daniel was kneeling.

"Carter!" Jack called, worried.

"I'm alright Sir. I was playing at being unconscious." Her speech was slurred. "Pain stick." She said to O'Neill by way of explanation.

Ouch! He knew what one of those felt like and was a little annoyed that Carter had suffered at Jaffa hands. It should have been him. It should always be him. He was their leader and it was his job to suffer for them, and save them. All this time he'd been safe while a member of his team was suffering at the hands of their enemy. That made him a very unhappy camper.

Carter sat up. She looked a little pale, but otherwise unharmed, although O'Neill knew the after effects of the pain stick could last a while. It was highly unpleasant. Daniel was open mouthed and speechless at what he saw. Carter took in her surroundings, a little dazed.

"Um, sir...? What just happened?"

"Carter, meet Odin and Idun. And this is Aurvandil. They are what appears to be an Asgard family."

Jack sank back down on the couch again, his hands grasping his head. Forgetting everything else, Carter was at his side in an instant.

"Colonel? What's wrong?" She felt his forehead. "You're burning up Sir."

"Don't worry Carter. I think it's flu. You probably feel worse than I do right now, after the pain stick. Are you ok?" She nodded.

"I will be Sir. Flu?"

It was as straightforward as that? Carter almost considered that funny after the number of injuries and alien illnesses that her CO had endured while they'd served together. Who would have figured it could be something quite as straightforward as flu? However, flu could be pretty nasty and was certainly debilitating. She didn't think they should rest on their laurels.

"I think so. It happens." He replied with his usual sardonic tone. She smiled at that; it was a good sign. "I think I'll just pass out now." Feeling at least partially secure in the knowledge that his friends were now in safe hands, he let his exhaustion overcome him and did exactly that.

He was a simple man. If you merely took him at face value he could appear low on intellect or slow on the uptake. Behind those bright, dancing eyes was a brain which was sharp as a tack and saw everything, always working out the next move. Academia had never been much to his liking, but he had studied hard to get where he was; no one became a Colonel without having done that, or a pilot, or any of the other things he was extremely good at. It hadn't all been learned through experience, although much had.

He read a lot in his spare time and, contrary to popular opinion, it was not just the funny pages. He had a comprehensive selection of non fiction works - science, astronomy, history and so on. This might appear to contradict his dislike of academia but only proved that he liked to choose what he read rather than have it chosen for him. The books were not kept on display in his house, however, and very few people even knew they were there.

He was clever and cunning. That he pretended to be otherwise was another tool in his box of tricks. Many a person, or alien, had underestimated him and lived to regret it - or not. It also encouraged the effective use of brains in other people, particularly his team mates. He could be full of surprises.

"Hey, stop poking at me!" Jack cried grumpily. He could see Carter behind the doctor grinning behind her hand. He wasn't a very patient, patient. Then he looked at the doctor. This was definitely not the SGC infirmary and this doctor was pretty unusual; he was Asgard.

"I am sorry Colonel O'Neill. I am unused to treating humans. Forgive me." The little guy bowed, "I am Loki."

"No you're not. I've met Loki." Jack replied, still in a bad mood. He felt a little better though. Did the Asgard know how to treat flu? Not even Earth doctors knew how to do that effectively. The Asgard's eyes widened.

"You have met Loki? How is that possible? Did you hear that Odin? He has met Loki."

There was excited whispering in Asgard and Jack looked around the room. Where was the rest of his team? As if reading his mind Carter spoke.

"Aurvandil is giving them a tour of the city. He was getting over excited with concern for your welfare Colonel. Odin suggested it to keep him occupied. You have another smitten child on your hands Colonel."

"I do?" Jack was quite proud of his good track record with the young. "Umm.. wait... child? Carter, how come?" Jack was easily confused, or so it seemed. "I thought Asgard couldn't... well... you know" He shrugged uncomfortably at the idea of actually talking about methods of reproduction around Carter. She smiled, appreciating his embarrassment.

"These ones can."

"Well ain't that a turn up? Won't Thor be thrilled?" At hearing the name Thor the excited chattering in Asgard stopped abruptly.

"Thor?" Odin said, looking surprised; at least Jack took the expression as one of surprise in the Asgard. It was hard to tell with Asgard physiology. These ones were different, though, that much was extremely clear. "You know Supreme Commander Thor?"

"Thor? Sure. He's an old buddy of mine." Jack said proudly. "You don't know him? He sure would love to meet you guys." The Asgard returned to babbling amongst themselves incomprehensibly. Meanwhile Jack puzzled over these Asgard.

"Carter, if they do that," He asked in a low voice, "then where's the equipment to... you know..." He gesticulated wildly and looked embarrassed at referring to what he obviously meant as the reproductive organs.

"I don't know Sir, I didn't think I should ask."

"We'll get Daniel to do it." Jack replied and Cater laughed. The Colonel would probably do that too.

Jack was intelligent enough to realise that they might have stumbled across Thor's missing link; the one thing that could save the Asgard race from inevitable extinction. Thor would so owe him for this. As Jacob Carter has once said, to have the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet owe you one is pretty valuable. Ex-cell-ent!

"Colonel O'Neill," Odin said, turning to face Jack once more, "It is many hundreds of years since we saw our brethren. I think I speak for all Asgard here when I say that we would dearly love to see them again."

"Um, we probably have more pressing things to discuss, Odin. Like what happened to the Goa'uld that seemed determined to take over your planet? That's just a small example. I'm not sure I like the idea of my people touring a city that might be attacked any moment."

"Your enemy have retreated while we talk to them."

"They have?"

That puzzled Jack and he didn't miss the fact that the Asgard referred to them as 'your' enemy. He felt pretty sure the other shoe would fall at any moment and sincerely hoped he wasn't trying to tackle two enemies at the same time. He wasn't sure he was up to it. Play along for now, Jack, he told himself, meanwhile, keep this brain of yours considering the options. He signalled Carter to follow his lead and appeared to forget about the Goa'uld.

"Ok, so what happened? How did you... people get separated?" He asked. Clearly they had been separated many, many hundreds of years ago, otherwise these genetic differences would not exist.

"There was a major upheaval on our home world, an internal power struggle. When the other side won, our side left them to found our own home world. This planet had once been Asgard occupied and we came here. This city is called Cimmeria after the ancient one you first came to." Jack looked at Carter.

"Isn't that the place where Teal'c and I..."

"Thor's hammer. Yes Sir." She turned to Odin. "So why build a new city when there was a perfectly good one already?" This seemed a little odd to her.

"The original Cimmeria is an ancient place. It is to be treasured as the home of our ancestors of long ago but is not very... modern. We would not destroy the old to build the new, so started again."

"So what were these big differences you had?" Jack asked Odin.

"My brethren strove for immortality. They wanted to clone themselves so they could live longer. We wanted to live and die as we should. There must be a high price to pay for immortality."

You can say that again, thought Jack. This might be something he could use to their advantage.

"There is. They succeeded." Said Jack and went on to explain what had happened to the Asgard; that they could no longer reproduce as they once had and were a dying race. His explanation included the use of scientific language that no one would have guessed he even knew.

"I'm sure you could explain it better Carter." He said, looking at her as if he suddenly realised that he should have left this part up to her. It was his usual way.

"You seem to be doing an excellent job Sir." She smiled with a knowing look on her face.

"Well thank you Carter, but feel free to join in." Jack grinned and they got into a discussion with the Asgard about genetics and missing links which showed that O'Neill understood the whole thing perfectly well, despite his usual displays of ignorance.

Carter had always thought he knew and understood a lot more than he let on. Here was proof positive. Wait until she told Daniel. In another of those mind reading things that happened between them from time to time, Jack looked at Carter grimly.

"No telling, Carter, and that's an order!"

"Yes Sir." She replied and stifled a smirk, which he saw.

"Don't smirk Carter, I mean it."

"Yes Sir. She said with military precision and a smart salute. Was she making fun of him, Jack wondered? On consideration, he believed she wasn't, but meant it. No telling. It was their little secret.

"At ease Major." He ordered, and she relaxed again and smiled sweetly.

"Sir."

"Now I need to rest. I'm tired. I've got the flu you know." Jack lay back and relaxed, closing his eyes. "But you guys let me know if you want me to contact Thor for you won't ya?"

Jack believed he should contact Thor. For starters, Thor would set them straight about who the enemy was around here. But, although these Asgard spoke of reconciliation he sensed reluctance. He couldn't just impose his own will on them, even if it did mean Thor would owe him one. He hoped to let them think they made the decision for themselves.

"You have the means to contact Thor?"

"Sure. But I understand if you don't wanna. It's been a long time; you had a falling out..."

"You believe that we the descendants of the original Asgard who came here, could help our brethren to reverse their decline, Colonel O'Neill?"

"I'm not sure about it, but it's possible." The response was more Asgard babbling.

"I must speak with the others." Said Odin eventually but leaving Jack in no doubt of the outcome of this meeting. These folks wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to meet with the enemies of their ancestors. The Asgard left Jack and Carter alone.

"How are you feeling Colonel?" She asked.

"Aching, chills... you know, the normal flu symptoms. Rough. Better than I was though. At least I'm not collapsing."

"That might be because you're already horizontal sir."

"Hey you didn't pick up that acerbic wit from a certain handsome and debonair Colonel that I know, did you?" Carter laughed.

"I don't know any handsome and debonair colonels, Colonel. Who could you be talking about?" She asked, the picture of innocence.

"Funny, Carter, funny." He smiled, "How about gracious and adorable...? No? Rugged but rakish...?" When she just stared at him blankly, he continued, "Ok... dwarfish and deformed?" He scrunched up his face and body and she sniggered again.

"You should rest Colonel." She said, still giggling.

"Yes ma'am." He turned on his side, eyes still closed. "However, I'm not sure I can do that with a Goa'uld mother ship hanging over our heads."

"I'll try to find out more about what's happening if you promise me that you'll rest. We seem safe for now."

"Yeah, but that in itself worries me, Carter."

She rolled her eyes, knowing that he would never relax or rest properly until the situation was resolved. Collapse from exhaustion, possibly, but relax... no way. And who could blame him? Jack would never count a Goa'uld as one of his best friends even if, by some unlikely miracle, they were ever to become allies.

"Promise me to do your best." She said turning to leave. "How about rough and ready?" She said on her way out. As the door started to close behind her she heard him muttering.

"Don't forget that evaluation Carter."

He was a simple man. His temper could get the better of him and he was not afraid to show his ire. He was also extremely practised at hiding his emotions behind a stony face; it's just that sometimes he didn't bother and occasionally he used it to his advantage. He was not one to suffer fools gladly and patience was something that you could be fooled into thinking didn't appear in his vocabulary.

However, it did, and he could be a very patient man when the need arose. It's just that he got bored quickly, felt the desire for neat and quick solutions, and hated long explanations for things that could generally be summed up in about three words or less; it will work, it won't work, yes, no. If, buts and maybes were not generally of much use to him. An if, but or a maybe could get people killed unnecessarily and he hated waste.

Against his better judgement, Jack actually ended up sleeping. The flu got the better of him, which he considered as pretty annoying. He awoke surrounded by what looked like a delegation of Asgard, as well as the members of his own team. The room was pretty full.

"Can't a guy get a bit of peace around here?" He snapped. He had the flu, for crying out loud, he needed to rest.

Actually, he felt much better and thought the doctors back home might be interested in whatever it was Loki had treated him with. He would suggest it to Carter; she was the scientist. At least half the art of leadership was appropriate delegation. People should be allowed to work to their strengths and he liked to encourage that.

The Asgard seemed to flinch at his ill-tempered words but Carter was used to it and approached him without trepidation.

"How are you feeling Sir?"

"Much better actually Carter. Thanks for askin'."

"Colonel, I believe that the Asgard Council wish to speak to you."

"Does it have to be all of 'em?" He asked grumpily, and loudly enough for them to hear.

"My apologies, Colonel O'Neill. The Council wished to meet with you. They are honored by the presence of someone who has met our kin and calls them friends."

"Very nice I'm sure Odin, but I'm not really feeling at my best today." O'Neill grumbled. Did this mean they had decided SG-1 were the good guys after all? "Hi everyone," he said, waving at the onlookers, "Now can you leave me alone please?"

Daniel looked outraged at O'Neill's treatment of these dignitaries, although Carter suppressed a giggle.

"Jack I don't think..." Daniel started to say.

"Daniel, I thought you had learned when to shut up by now. Obviously we are gonna have to give you more lessons when we get back home, and a rap over the knuckles with a ruler" O'Neill growled, effectively stopping Daniel in his tracks. The archaeologist looked unhappy but kept his mouth closed.

"Colonel O'Neill, will you speak to me without the presence of the others?" Odin said, bowing.

"Sure Odin old buddy." O'Neill smiled happily.

The other Asgard started to leave the room emitting a low hum of conversation. O'Neill saw Aurvandil, who clearly was not supposed to be there, trying to sneak out without being noticed. He was looking at O'Neill and Jack winked at him and indicated he could stay. Aurvandil looked delighted, for an Asgard, and tried to make himself as small and quiet as possible so that his father would not throw him out. Jack didn't think Odin even realised that his son was in the room.

"Colonel O'Neill, I consulted the Council and we very much wish for you to contact our Asgard cousins and persuade them to visit us.

"You want to try to effect a reconciliation?" He asked of Odin.

"We do, Colonel O'Neill. And we would wish to try to help our kin with their... genetic misfortunes."

O'Neill smiled at those words and appeared to be considering the matter.

"Before we talk about that Odin, what about the Goa'uld? What's happening?"

"The Goa'uld and some of his Jaffa will be coming to this city shortly to continue discussions." Answered Odin and Jack's eyes widened in horror. He looked at Teal'c who met his horror with her own.

"You are letting these guys in? Are you nuts?" He asked.

"Colonel, it's Zipacna." Carter volunteered, having already tried to convince the Asgard that their invitation was a seriously bad idea, but getting nowhere.

"Zippy? That low down, overdressed, good for nothing snake head? Believe me Odin, you do not want to mess with that guy." This made contact with the other Asgard all the more imperative. "Carter, where's my jacket?"

"Over here sir."

"Pass it over here would you?"

He rummaged around in the pockets and eventually withdrew an Asgard device. Carter could not recall seeing it before. He pressed a button on the device and put it back into the pocket again. Carter raised her eyebrows in query but he ignored her. She knew better than to question him right now.

"Okay. Hopefully the cavalry will be on it's way right now." Jack said when he'd done.

"Cavalry Colonel O'Neill?" Odin questioned.

"Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet. The cavalry. I'm sure he'll convince you that Zippy is a Goa'uld that one should approach with caution. Obviously you aren't gonna listen to us."

"That is it Colonel O'Neill? You have contacted Supreme Commander Thor?" Odin asked looking surprised.

"Yep."

"What, might I ask, happens now?" Odin pressed.

"We wait. It could take a little while. You can leave now until Thor arrives."

Odin left looking slightly stunned and without even noticing his son quietly sitting in the corner.

"Umm... Jack what was that?" Asked Daniel, just as Carter opened her mouth to ask the same question.

"That, Daniel, was a little device Thor gave me last time I saw him. Let's just call it... a panic button."

"Sir?" Carter's tone was merely questioning but her expression told him she was annoyed she didn't know about it.

"Oh Carter, don't look at me in that tone of voice." Jack retorted. "Thor gave it to me, said to press the button if I needed help sometime and he would try to come. Well, he said a whole lot more than that actually, but there is one thing I do remember clearly - him making me promise not to tell anyone else. Can't have your CO breaking promises now can we? Then where would we be? Chaos would reign Carter, that's where."

"Yes Sir." She was annoyed but O'Neill was her CO. She respected him, and the chain of command in the USAF, so she remained silent.

"Now, I need some more rest. All this diplomatic stuff takes it out of you." He quipped.

Daniel looked at him thunderously, obviously not thinking very highly of 'this diplomatic stuff' Jack referred to. Teal'c was the only one of his team not pissed off with him and Jack wondered whether he would end up alienating the big Jaffa before the day was through. It's tough being in charge.

"So... you can go now," Jack added, "Just in case I didn't make myself abundantly clear."

The three started to shuffle out of the room, followed by Aurvandil.

"Aurvandil," Jack's voice took on an altogether different, more kindly, tone, "why don't you stay behind and tell me all about this place?"

Aurvandil positively beamed - for an Asgard - and went to sit beside his new friend.

TBC in P3 


	3. A Simple Man P3

A Simple Man Part 3 - See Part 1 for introduction and disclaimer 

He was a simple man. When his son had accidentally killed himself, his thoughts were dark, obsessive and self absorbed. He contemplated taking his own life with the gun that Charlie had used. He spent hours just staring at it, cleaning it, loading it and unloading it again. It was not the first time Jack O'Neill had faced great adversity, nor would it be the last, but it was certainly the worst.

He might never have recovered from it if not for a certain little trip through a huge honkin' circle to a nice desert planet called Abydos. Charlie might still be dead and gone but O'Neill had changed. He grasped at life and refused to take anything too seriously. Life was too short. The children of Abydos had saved him, alongside a certain pesky archaeologist, and he would be eternally grateful for it, forever more holding children in high regard.

Half an hour later Idun came in to look for her son and take him away, but O'Neill sent her packing, insisting that he wanted Aurvandil to keep him company. Jack was learning a lot about the Asgard from this 'boy' and he learned it in the amusing and entertaining way that only children could provide - innocence and enthusiasm, there was nothing quite like it.

Aurvandil provided detailed descriptions of customs and history in simple terms that O'Neill could relate to. Daniel would have loved it and Jack snickered at the fact that he could now teach the archaeologist a thing or two about this race. He liked the little Asgard but had an ulterior motive for his questions; the more he knew the better able he was to deal with what faced them. What if Thor didn't come? That might put a damper on things, and Odin might perceive SG-1 as his potential enemy once again.

It can't have been more than another half hour after that when a beam of light brightened the room. It was Thor. Aurvandil was stunned by the appearance of one of his historic brethren, Jack just took it in his stride.

"Hey Thor old buddy. Good of you to drop by." Jack said cheerfully.

"Are you in trouble O'Neill?" Asked Thor.

"Umm, you might have noticed a Goa'uld mother ship in the vicinity Thor?"

"Indeed O'Neill. As there seems no immediate threat I thought it wise to find out more before acting. The Goa'uld are no longer an enemy that one engages idly."

"I'm relying on you to convince these Asgard that they are the enemy." Jack thought he detected a hint of surprise on Thor's impassive features. "I think your relatives have invited them for dinner or something." Thor considered this, trying to understand O'Neill's peculiar human humor.

"I am puzzled by the presence of Asgard on this planet O'Neill, which I why I wished to speak to you first."

"Yeah, well we were kind of surprised too. I might have found something to cure what ails you, my friend." Jack smiled. "Thor, meet Aurvandil. He is an Asgard child. His parents are called Odin and Idun."

Thor Stared at Aurvandil, who stared back, equally awed.

"Child, O'Neill?" Thor managed to say after a long pause, "You are a child?" He asked Aurvandil.

"Yes, Supreme Commander Thor." He was overwhelmed at having the honor to be the first of his kind to meet Thor. "I do not understand why that is so important." He was thinking that Thor was no bigger than he. He looked Asgard, but different. It was most strange. Aurvandil was too mesmerised by Thor to ask about it.

"You will, Aurvandil, you will." Jack said, patting the boy on the arm and smiling.

"O'Neill," Said Thor, "You found our lost brethren? We believed them dead. I must meet the others. This is an occasion for celebration. I am most grateful that you contacted me." He took a little bow.

"I think you officially owe me one Thor."

"Owe you one, O'Neill?"

"Owe me a favour?"

"I am sure you are right, O'Neill." Agreed Thor, and Jack was pretty sure he was smiling, if Asgard could be said to smile. It's difficult to gauge the mood of an Asgard. "Perhaps you would let me know next time you need me in the war against your Senators?"

Jack wondered if that was an Asgard's idea of a joke and chuckled. Thor's huge eyes just stared at him, as unfathomable as ever.

"Let's not overlook the presence of that Goa'uld mother ship in our excitement, huh, Thor?" Jack interjected.

"Indeed not. I must speak to my brethren immediately. Are the rest of your team here O'Neill?" Thor asked, politely.

"Sure. Aurvandil, can you find my team, and your father, and tell them that Supreme Commander Thor has arrived?" Jack asked. Aurvandil stammered a nervous response and left Jack and Thor alone.

"Well, Thor old buddy, I hope you can make it quicker next time I'm in trouble."

"I apologise for my tardiness, O'Neill. I was in the middle of something important."

"Replicators?"

"No. A 'pesky' High Council meeting, as you might say." Thor replied and Jack laughed aloud.

"Pesky?"

"That is what you would say, is it not?" Thor enquired.

"Sure, Thor... probably." Jack smiled.

Things got a bit chaotic after that, making Jack dizzy with all the comings and goings; SG-1, Odin and half the population of the planet, food and drink. Why this room, Jack asked himself, or why couldn't they just put him in a side room out of the way?

Loki arrived, ostensibly to see how Jack was, but was fascinated to meet Supreme Commander Thor, of course. In the meantime, no one seemed to have an answer to O'Neill's questions about Zipacna and his merry band of Jaffa. The arrival of Thor had lessened Jack's concern, but not entirely. He'd feel happier to know that the bad guys had been properly dealt with. He was exhausted from just watching the activity all around him. It ground him down, but he was determined to stay alert until he had his answers.

He was a simple man. What might appear to be an impassive face hid a brain that was on constant alert, thinking, planning and sometimes agonising over his options. He was the man with the plan. Actually he always tried to have more than one plan as, although he claimed to dislike clichés, he knew that chaos theory applied to even the simplest of things. What can go wrong will go wrong and one should be prepared and not wholly rely on ones original solution.

The blank spaces on an ancient map once said 'here there be monsters', and he knew that those monsters could simply be biding their time and bite him on the ass at any moment. So worst case scenarios were his speciality. In his experience plan C was frequently the one that worked after plans A and B had failed.

Without attracting undue attention he managed to get up from his couch and unsteadily make his way over to a window in the room. This was Jack's first view of the city and it was startlingly beautiful, with the sunlight reflecting off the crystal and metal it was built with. Asgard did not build in the same sorts of straight lines that humans did. None of the buildings were straightforward rectangles, but every type of triangle was represented, and some spheres, circles and odd rounded shapes too - Jack thought he'd be hard pressed to recall the names of some of the shapes he could see out there. It was chaotic, but in a pleasing to the eye kind of way.

Three huge Asgard ships hovered majestically over the Asgard city. It was a sight to behold the like of which only one human had probably ever seen before; Major Samantha Carter USAF.

"O'Neill, you are feeling better?" His little grey friend Thor had sneaked up on him while he admired the view. He did not answer Thor's question, but asked one himself.

"Are they with you Thor?" He indicated the ships. "I haven't seen one like that before." He referred to a ship of a very different design to the other two. "She is a beauty Thor. New Flagship?" Thor seemed pleased and bowed slightly to O'Neill.

"I am happy that you like my new flagship, O'Neill. That is The O'Neill II."

"The O'Neill II?" He smiled at Thor. "Cool!"

Jack was awe-struck. She was dazzling and he felt very proud indeed. To have one new ship named after you might be considered an aberration, but two? It really meant a lot. So Thor had brought The O'Neill to rescue an O'Neill, huh? That was poetic.

"Would you like to go aboard O'Neill?" Jack's smile broadened at that invitation. What kind of a question was that? Of course he'd like to go aboard.

"That would be nice Thor." A master of understatement; that was Jack O'Neill.

The next thing he know he was standing on what he assumed to be the bridge of The O'Neill II. The crew seemed unperturbed by their sudden appearance.

"Sweet!" Exclaimed Jack, looking around but thinking that there were more important things to do right now than ask for a guided tour. "Nice view Thor." He said, nodding to the view screen which showed a large image of the Goa'uld ship.

"You did not think I had neglected to remember their presence did you O'Neill?"

"Not for one minute, Thor, old buddy." His knees felt weak and his head started to spin. "I think I should just sit down for a minute." He sunk to the floor.

"O'Neill you are still unwell?"

"I think that's a yes."

"I should take you back to the planet to their Loki."

"I'd rather stay here and keep my beady eyes on what that puffed up, pompous snake Zipacna is doing."

"I imagined that might be why you accepted my invitation so readily."

"Yeah, well that and the fact that this beauty is named for me Thor. I'm honored by the way, although the grand tour might have to wait. Do they even know you're here?" He asked, gesturing towards Zipacna's ship.

"They do not, O'Neill. But should the need arise they will be made aware quickly enough." Jack thought he detected a smile on the Asgard's face and, imagining it to be a slightly mischievous one, laughed.

"I am sure they will, Thor." It was a comfort to know that he didn't have to fight these bad guys alone. In fact, he had one of the best weapons against the Goa'uld right here under his feet; correction, under his butt.

"Find the Colonel something comfortable to sit on. Would you prefer that your team join us O'Neill?"

"They might be a little worried by my sudden disappearance."

That was a slight understatement. The chaos in the room they had left behind turned even more chaotic at the abrupt departure of their two guests. SG-1 were highly unhappy that O'Neill was gone, but they guessed where to. That was no comfort. Their CO was ill; flu wasn't something one got over in a matter of hours, no matter how good Asgard medicine might be. Carter was pressing Odin to try contacting Thor's ship.

"Which ship is his?" Odin asked, and she wondered what these Asgard used for brains.

"I'm guessing that's the big shiny one up there with The O'Neill II in big Asgard lettering on the side." Daniel interjected sarcastically.

"The O'Neill II?" Carter asked, surprised.

"That's what I think it says. Do you think Thor might be trying to make a statement?"

Daniel replied with what appeared to be a little peevishness. Carter suppressed a grin and figured Daniel was slightly envious that the Colonel was held in such high regard by their little grey allies. She was about to speak but suddenly found herself facing her CO, rather than Daniel. She quickly looked around to assess the situation, and hurried to O'Neill's side. He looked terrible.

"Colonel, are you alright?" She expected to get his usual 'fine' reply and was determined to brush that off this time.

"Not really Carter." He said to her surprise. "But I might start to feel better once I know what Zippy is up to." He nodded towards the view screen. The Goa'uld ship sat silently and still, but he felt pretty sure it was ready to pounce at any moment.

"One of our kin is aboard his vessel, O'Neill," started Thor "trying to ascertain as much information as possible from this... Zippy."

Jack smiled at the use of the nickname. It sounded strange coming from Thor's lips; a bit like his earlier use of the word pesky. The little grey guy learned fast, although Jack wasn't sure he was learning the right things. The Jack O'Neill irreverent style might not sit well with most Asgard, although Thor seemed to like it.

"We too wish to determine his purpose in coming to this planet, and how they found an ancient Asgard home world." Thor continued. "This is why I have failed to act, O'Neill. I hope you do not think me doubly tardy." He added, alluding to their earlier conversation about the length of time it had taken to respond to Jack's 'distress' call.

"I thought he'd been invited down to the planet." Jack said.

"He still is invited. My brethren are delaying for as long as possible."

"Old Zippy is not a patient guy, Thor, he is bound to get restless soon."

"I believe you are right." Thor pointed to the view screen. The mother ship was on the move and spewing a few baby ships as she located herself immediately above the new Cimmeria.

Thor stepped over to sit in his chair and activated something on the console incorporated into it's arms.

"Lord Zipacna," Thor said, obviously having activated a communication device. "This is Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard Fleet. I command that you desist from action and tell me your intentions towards my people."

The view screen showed Zipacna's face. Jack had almost forgotten exactly how arrogant Zippy was. He could see over confidence dripping from every pore of Zipacna's ugly mug.

"So you are here, Supreme Commander." He seemed unperturbed.

Yep, that over confidence would be this guy's downfall and Jack prayed for that. He would love nothing better than to witness the demise of Zippy. That would cure his flu quickly enough. Did Zippy think he could defeat the Asgard? What the hell was he holding up his sleeve? Jack knew that the Asgard were no longer as effective against the might of the Goa'uld as they had been, Anubis had put paid to that, but he hoped his own confidence in Thor, and The O'Neill II, were not misplaced.

"I am sure you realise that your presence does not deter me." Zippy continued.

"He sure is cocky." Jack said.

"So you are there also, Tauri." Zipacna sneered in best Goa'uld tradition. Here we go, thought Jack. "It will be a pleasure to witness your demise Colonel O'Neill."

"Nice to see you too, Zippy old pal." Jack replied in a voice laced with sarcasm. "I think that tells us his intentions aren't entirely honorable, Thor, don't you?"

"Agreed. I did not for one moment imagine that they might be O'Neill." He turned to speak to his crew. "Prepare to... kick ass, as Colonel O'Neill might say."

Jack smiled at his Asgard friend. This was turning into the Jack and Thor show. He imagined Thor acting like this at Council meetings and wondered if that was why they lasted so long. Perhaps Thor exhibited too much O'Neill like behaviour. He thought that might be a bad habit to get into.

Zipacna was at a disadvantage; the Asgard ships remained hidden to him. Jack would love to have seen Zippy's face when he saw the ships and got a good look at The O'Neill II. That might wipe the supercilious grin off his face.

Old Zippy was sending ships down to attack the Asgard city. It was time for Thor to make a move.

"Can't you just make them disappear Thor?" Jack asked. "We've seen you do it before."

"It appears that they can now counter that technology. However, The O'Neill II is well equipped with both our most recent defensive and offensive technologies. It was designed with new Goa'uld technology in mind, O'Neill."

"That's what I like to hear." Jack smiled smugly.

His team seemed a little stunned by these exchanges and watched in silence as Thor easily despatched the baby ships that Zipacna had sent forth from his bowels. Zipacna now had a birds eye view of The O'Neill II and tried to attack but the ship seemed impervious, not even shaken within it's protective force field. However, Zippy's ship also seemed able to ward off Thor's counter attack.

"Um Thor, I think this ship might already need an upgrade." Jack said, beginning to worry that his faith was misplaced after all.

"I fear you might be correct O'Neill. They have discovered another means to protect themselves of which we are unaware."

"So that was his ace." Jack muttered aloud to himself. We need a plan. He thought.

Zipacna, obviously believing that he could not be defeated by these Asgard, started to attack the Asgard city below. Thor moved his ship lower and extended his force field to protect his kin.

"Nice job Thor. You've improved your shields I see."

"Indeed O'Neill. But we do appear to be at a stalemate."

Jack had to agree. Zippy didn't seem to be about to give up. He presumably hoped to find a weakness. Well, two could play at that game.

"Have you been able to find out anything about this new Goa'uld technology Thor?" he asked.

"We did manage to download the schematics of their ship without them even knowing it, O'Neill, as you suggested earlier." Jack had this notion, which he'd shared with Thor, just before his team had beamed abroad.

"Nice! Learn anything?"

Thor conferred in Asgard with one of his crew.

"It appears that this part of the ship is unfamiliar to us." A schematic appeared on the view screen.

"This looks like your territory Carter." Jack indicated to his 2IC and she stepped closer to study it, asking the Asgard to show her the surrounding areas as well.

"Yes Sir." She was silent for a while. "It looks like we'd need to get on board to do anything with it though."

"That was also our conclusion. It appears to be well protected by force fields."

"We'd need to get on board, disable the force fields here, then go here to destroy this device, which seems to be shielding them from the Asgard." Carter was manipulating the images to indicate where she meant, having taken over control from the Asgard crew member.

"We would prefer to study the device, Major Carter." Thor said.

"There is no way we are getting on board this thing to do anything with the device Thor. I can't see a way in."

"Carter, you're such a pessimist." Jack said. "Did I see a disabled glider earlier Thor?"

"Colonel?" Carter exclaimed in question and protest, suddenly getting an inkling of what he might have in mind.

He was a simple man. His transfer to USAF Special Operations early in his military career had been an inspired move by his superiors. His intellect and exceptional abilities had made him perfect for the job. Stealth was a byword with O'Neill. He did it without even thinking. Put that together with his lethal weapons and explosives expertise, add a pinch of tactical genius, and he was a walking recipe for disaster to one's enemies - a useful man to have on your side and a formidable enemy.

Carter had protested vehemently and loudly at her CO's insistence at undertaking this mission himself. As he outranked her she had no choice but to give way, muttering about putting her protest on the record, which O'Neill said she was quite welcome to do once they got home. He knew he wasn't 100 but still thought he was the best man for the job, along with Teal'c

As a result he and Teal'c were now sneaking around the interminable corridors of the Goa'uld mother ship trying to reach their goal - knocking out the force fields that protected the ship's resilient shielding.

Thor was playing for time by calling a truce and entertaining Zipacna on board The O'Neill II to talk things through, which made Jack shudder. Teal'c had managed to talk his way on board the mother ship in the pretence that they were Zipacna's loyal and injured Jaffa. One of the beauties of having an ally who spoke fluent Goa'uld and knew how to deal with Jaffa intimately. The self assurance of Zippy's troops that they were somehow invulnerable was something Jack and Teal'c used to their advantage. Both men wore Jaffa armour, taken from the dead, covering Teal'c's tattoo, and Jack's lack of one, with faked injuries.

Having managed to avoid any problems on entering the glider bay, they had quickly discarded the Jaffa armour once they found a quiet spot. Jaffa didn't know the meaning of the word stealth. They ruled through fear and superior weaponry so had not need to sneak quietly around Goa'uld mother ships. Jack and Teal'c, on the other hand, wanted to fade into the background as much as possible. Jaffa armour made way too much noise.

"First corridor on your right Sir."

Carter was guiding them from Thor's ship. This reminded Jack of another time and place, which was ironic because the recollection went back to their brief foray onto Osiris' ship. It was on that mission they had first learned of the Asgard's genetic problems. They'd also saved the life of Thor on that occasion. Life was strange, Jack thought, full of weird twists and turns that sometimes seemed to bring you back to where you'd already been. These corridors were all too familiar.

Jack kept going out of sheer strength of will. He knew that as soon as the adrenaline rush ran out he would probably collapse in a heap on the floor and could be out of it for days. One was not supposed to do this sort of thing while one had flu. Carter was right, but he was determined see this through. Let her file her damned protest; It would be too late by then.

"Bogey's coming up on your six Sir. Suggest turning left here to avoid them." Carter spoke, seeing the Jaffa on the plan in front of her. They were gaining on her team mates.

"I thought we were going right Carter."

"Left's your quickest escape route Sir."

He and Teal'c turned left and hid while half a dozen Jaffa marched past noisily.

"Sir, they have just gone where I was going to send you." Carter said.

Oy! It couldn't just be simple and straightforward, thought Jack.

"So you got any suggestions Carter?"

"Hold on Sir." She looked carefully at the map. "That's your only way in Colonel."

"Well T," He looked at his friend, "Looks like we might be in a fight after all."

"Indeed."

"Wait, sir." Carter said. "It looks like some of them are moving off. That leaves four at your target Colonel." It was better than six.

"Do you think they know we're here Teal'c?" Jack asked.

"It is unlikely. No alarm has been raised."

"Good, so we can still surprise 'em."

"Indeed"

Jack rounded the corner with no stealth whatever.

"Hi guys." He said to the Jaffa standing guard on his initial target, "Nice day for a walk, don't you think?"

They raised their weapons in surprise but not until Jack had already ducked and Teal'c had come out of his hiding place and hit two of them with staff blasts. Jack got the other two with his P-90 from his crouching position.

"Okay Teal'c, this probably means we're running out of time. We split up. You hit the internal force fields and I'll be ready to take our primary target." Teal'c nodded assent, going to set the charges, while Jack made his way to their ultimate goal.

Back on The O'Neill II, Zipacna was alerted to problems aboard his ship and cursed the Asgard for treachery, insisting he be returned immediately. Thor was equally insistent that he remain a guest on board his flag ship, leaving Zipacna and his guard unable to leave, while he rejoined Carter and Daniel back on the bridge. Zippy was furious, but helpless.

When Jack heard the explosions he saw the force fields fall. He might not have long to do this so he quickly moved to the target. Alarms were going off everywhere and he felt sure he'd be joined by some Jaffa pretty soon. He hoped to disable it before then. After that was done, all bets were off.

His fingers nimbly followed the instructions he'd memorised. He could hear Jaffa approaching. One final little thing and he had the gizmo in his hands. A Jaffa fired and he ducked behind a column to his right. He spoke into his radio.

"I got it Carter."

As he spoke, a Jaffa was right on top of him, about to blast him with his staff. Jack cringed as he heard the blast but looked up to see the Jaffa fall head first in front of him. Behind him stood Teal'c, his own staff raised and obviously having just been fired.

"Thanks old buddy," Jack acknowledged.

"You are most welcome O'Neill." Teal'c inclined his head.

"Lower your weapons, you are surrounded." Boomed the voice of a Jaffa. Crap!

"Did you hear me Carter, I said I've got it."

"Yes Sir."

As the Jaffa approached him and Teal'c menacingly, they were surprised to see a blinding white light and their quarry was gone.

"Now that's what I call being in the nick of time." Jack said as he materialised on Thor's bridge. He nodded thanks to Carter. "Well Thor, here it is. I think you'll now find them pretty defenceless. Not up to the might of The O'Neill II." He smiled proudly.

"I do believe that Lord Zipacna can be returned to his ship now." Thor said to one of his crew, who operated the device that sent Zippy back. "This is Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard Fleet, Lord Zipacna," Thor spoke into the communications device, once Zippy had been beamed back. "Surrender or die." Jack nearly laughed and could have sworn he saw Thor wink at him. Whatever next?

Zippy's ugly mug appeared on the screen once again. Jack was getting sick of the sight of this guy.

"You think I will surrender to the likes of you?" Zapacna said haughtily, firing on the O'Neill.

"Go Thor!" Whispered Jack to himself.

"Then you die." Said Thor dramatically and fired at the mother ship. Jack saw a nice big hole appear in the side of the Goa'uld ship, then Thor fired again and the ship exploded.

"Bye Zippy. I'll miss you." Said Jack with satisfaction. "Nothing like fireworks to start off a good celebration." He quipped. He collapsed back in the chair that Thor had procured for him, the adrenaline that had kept him going suddenly depleted.

"Colonel? Sir?" Carter cried in a concerned voice, but he was beyond hearing.

He was a simple man. His humor was flippant, sardonic and sceptical, sometimes totally wacky and off the wall. His favourite TV show was The Simpson's, which so ably made fun of the very society he'd taken an oath to protect with his life's blood. He saw the bizarre and absurd in the most unlikely places and the most common things. He was comedic, entertaining and infuriating in the use of his wit. It was his shield, defending him from attack, and his mask, hiding his multiplicity of feelings.

Those feelings ran very deep, but because people took him at face value, as he wanted, they imagined he lacked depth. Actually he was intense and broody, but tried not to allow himself to over think things as it got too complicated. Uncomplicated was best for a military man who needed to think on his feet and improvise. That didn't mean he couldn't do complicated just as well.

There was a knock on his door and Loki entered.

"Are you feeling better Colonel O'Neill?" He enquired.

"Yeah, actually, I am. Much better, thank you Loki. I don't know what it is you gave me but I'll take half a dozen." He smiled but was met with the usual wide eyed blank Asgard expression. He had to admit that the Asgard on this planet were a little less lacking in expression than the little grey guys he knew, but even so it was difficult to read them.

"Very amusing Colonel O'Neill." Replied Loki which at least assured O'Neill that Loki realised he was cracking a joke. It was something.

"Seriously Loki. I'm sure Major Carter would be most interested if you are willing to tell her."

"If your people and ours are to be allies, O'Neill, that might be appropriate."

Allies? That had a nice friendly ring to it, O'Neill thought.

"It is you who have brought our peoples together in the first steps to reconciliation Colonel O'Neill. The party tonight is in your honor, and that of Supreme Commander Thor."

"Party?"

"Gathering of people to celebrate? You call it a party, do you not?"

"And I thought that was what was going on in my room when Thor fist arrived." O'Neill retorted sarcastically. "There were enough people going in and out; there was food, drink..."

"That was merely a small welcome to our new-found brethren. Tonight's celebrations will be on a much grander scale."

"Oh good. That's nice." His tone remained sarcastic. O'Neill was thinking that he and his team should be getting home. He, for one, could do with a few days in bed. "I think I'll give that a miss."

"You cannot do that, Colonel O'Neill. You are a guest of honor." The Asgard seemed shocked.

"Well aren't I the lucky one? Will there be cake? A party isn't a party without cake. And ice-cream, maybe some jello...?"

A guest of honor at an Asgard shindig; that was something to tell your grandchildren. Of course, it was exceedingly unlikely that he'd ever have any of those, given he didn't even have any children and all. Jack saw what he thought was a puzzled expression on the Asgard's face. Clearly the Asgard had never heard of cake, ice-cream or jello. This was so not going to be his kind of party.

"You require cake, ice-cream and jello, Colonel O'Neill? I am uncertain as to what these are. Perhaps you need to speak to Odin?"

"Um... that's fine Loki, I'm sure your party will be simply wonderful without it." I don't think, he added mentally.

"I am to meet the original Loki, for whom I was named." He seemed delighted with this idea.

"That's nice for ya." Loki clearly did not detect the sarcasm in the Colonel's tone, which alluded to his previous encounter with the Asgard's mischievous namesake. "Where's the rest of my team Loki? I'd kind of like to see them."

A while later the rest of SG-1 arrived, with Thor in tow. Carter and Daniel had already been back to Earth to report to Hammond. Teal'c had stayed with O'Neill. It was agreed Jack should remain in Cimmeria to recover from his flu bout, particularly after Carter had told them about what appeared to be a kind of flu cure that the Asgard had created. Hammond seemed very pleased. It might not be a weapon in their fight against the Goa'uld but he felt certain that the Pentagon would be pleased with it. They liked discoveries that might make ready cash for the US government.

Jack hinted about going home, but the team, and Thor, seemed determined they should stay for the party.

"Yeah, but there won't be cake." O'Neill said, with petulance causing Carter to stifle a smile.

"But O'Neill, if cake is required I am sure that arrangements can be made. The O'Neill II could make a trip to Earth and acquire some for you." Said Thor, trying to be helpful. It conjured a vision in Jack's mind; the contents of a local cake shop disappearing in a flash of bright light. He didn't think that sort of publicity would be a good thing, but laughed at the notion.

"It's alright Thor, I'm sure we can manage without it." Jack said quickly before Thor decided to just go ahead and do it. "Nice boat, by the way Thor, The O'Neill II; beautiful, if I may say so."

"Boat, O'Neill?"

"Ship... boat... whatever..."

"The O'Neill II is the flagship of the new Asgard fleet, not a... boat. This is intended as humor O'Neill?"

"Sure Thor, sure."

These little grey guys didn't always get it, thought Jack. That was the trouble with dealing with aliens; they too often lacked humor. He had to admit that Thor did try. His earlier use of the term pesky to describe the Asgard Council was clearly intended to be humorous.

"You seem much better Sir." Posited Carter in a veiled enquiry about his health which was also intended to change the subject.

"I am Carter, but I'm not sure a party is something one should do while laid low with flu. Generally a few days in bed is required."

"Still feeling a little rough Sir?"

"Perhaps I would describe it as weary, Carter." He lay back to demonstrate it, placing the back of his hand to his forehead in a dramatic gesture.

"Maybe we should leave you alone to rest until later, Sir."

"No!" He exclaimed, "Carter, you know how bored I get. It's a pity these guys don't have VCRs and TVs, I could get Thor to pick me up some episodes of the Simpsons to keep me entertained. Now there is a show that all aliens should watch if they want to learn about the human race."

"The Simpson's, O'Neill? This is something that informs us of the human condition?"

"I think that was intended as a joke, Thor." Daniel intervened quickly, dreading what sort of impression the Asgard would get of humans if they watched it and thought it reflected reality. Okay, so it did reflect reality, but he did not think the Asgard were up to the task of seeing the nuances to the show's irreverent humor. It was bad enough that they considered Jack O'Neill a prime specimen of humanity. Oy! As Jack himself might say.

"Hey Daniel. That's no joke." Jack said quickly, "I will defend the honor of The Simpsons to the death." Daniel raised his eyes to the heavens in frustration with his CO. The man could be downright infuriating at times.

He was a simple man. He was easily bored, unless he was lazing around doing something that he wanted to laze around doing. He would fidget, pace, or fiddle with any loose objects lying around, however delicate their structure, and generally make a pain in the neck of himself.

This child-like behaviour had it's endearing moments, sometimes causing mirth amongst his team mates, but could tend towards the annoying on a frequent basis. He expressed himself with his hands, gesticulated to emphasise his words; and was rarely still unless the need arose. With O'Neill, stillness could indicate grave danger - waiting to spring his lethal trap.

"Okay, so who is gonna give me a guided tour of this City, then?" Jack said out of the blue, deciding for himself to change the subject. He got to decide their topic of conversation; he was the CO around here.

"If you feel unfit to attend a party, O'Neill, you are also unfit to see this city." Teal'c said, looking seriously at his friend. "You should not tire yourself unnecessarily O'Neill."

"Well I'm touched by your concern, T, but I am bored. B.O.R.E.D, bored!!! I can't lie around here for the rest of the day, I'll go nuts." Teal'c inclined his head slightly at O'Neill's outburst.

"I am merely thinking of your welfare, O'Neill."

"Well that's very sweet of you Teal'c," Jack said sardonically, "but I'm BORED!"

Teal'c merely raised his eyebrows in response, deciding he would intervene no further. Tauri humor could be confusing and his other two team mates would often tell him that O'Neill was not necessarily an example to follow in this respect.

"I am sure we can arrange something that will be less tiring, O'Neill." Thor mediated. "We have means of transportation." He left to make arrangements with his long lost cousins.

Jack was delighted with what Thor organised.

"Hey, it one of those floating chair things!" He said like a kid in a candy store.

The tour was similarly filled with O'Neill's child-like enthusiasm and witty quipping. Carter figured he broke at least half a dozen bits of Asgard technology on his way around. Their hosts would no doubt be thrilled. It amused her that the Asgard held her impertinent CO in such high esteem, holding him up as a shining example of humanity, whereas it exasperated Daniel. She wondered if Daniel might feel appeased if the Asgard named a new ship after him.

True the Colonel was a genuine hero and it was hard to find a better man. She admired and respected him. He was a good CO, despite his faults, and sometimes because of them. He did have such an annoying side to him though, but then who didn't? We're all only human after all, she reflected.

Daniel had been irked with O'Neill before they had even started on this mission. That little display of the Colonel's in the briefing room had annoyed Daniel, who had been hoping to catch his CO off guard. Daniel so hated it when one of his plans to embarrass O'Neill fell flat. He had tried moaning to Sam about it, but she had steadfastly refused to let him complain about their Colonel, which had only served to irritate him further. He had then gone on to complain that she always seemed to take Jack's side. Well of course she did; O'Neill was the boss. Daniel just didn't seem to get it sometimes.

She wondered what Daniel would think if he'd witnessed that open display of the Colonel's well hidden, acutely intelligent brain, as she had. She would never know because she would keep her promise to not tell a soul. That wasn't simply because the Colonel had ordered her not too, but because she genuinely believed he deserved her unending support. He'd earned it and had paid a high price for it over the years. It was up to him how much he revealed of his true nature, and to whom he revealed it. The Colonel was a complicated man and full of surprises. She liked that about him.

The party was a huge affair and a little overwhelming. Jack figured the whole population of Asgard must be in attendance. It was held outside in a massive open space in the middle of the city. When Jack had arrived, in his chair, the assembled throng had been awed into silence. It was touching, not to mention flattering to his ego. Aurvandil was totally thrilled when O'Neill made a bee line for him and started to engage him in conversation like a long lost friend. Aurvandil's friends were going to be so envious.

Of course it wasn't the kind celebration that Jack would call a party. This was not merely because it lacked cake and the rest; it also lacked alcohol, and those other little things that make a party swing, like fun and gaiety. It was a sombre affair, with lots of speeches and talk. In a word, it was dull. However, O'Neill had been at his diplomatic best, for a change; the perfect model of good behaviour.

He even made a little speech of his own, which flowed gracefully off his tongue as if he was the true statesman. It was another interesting surprise for his team; quite brilliant from someone who claimed he was a man of few words, and that he was still suffering the after effects of flu. Carter suspected that her CO was being deliberately melodramatic as she believed the cure was more effective than that.

O'Neill just wanted to get it over with and get home. That Chinese take out still lurked in his refrigerator and wasn't getting any younger. Admittedly, he had lost his appetite since he'd gone down with this flu thing, but a guy had to eat some time. The last 'real' food he'd had was the macaroni and cheese MRE, before the Goa'uld invasion. How long ago had that been?

He felt satisfied that this mission was a job well done. They'd even managed to get rid of a nasty Goa'uld and his Jaffa along the way, something he found gratifying. Jack loved dead bad guys, particularly when he was responsible for killing them. They'd made new allies too, which would please Hammond and the Pentagon. Also, Thor owed him one for reuniting the two Asgard factions and possibly saving his whole race. There was always that little thing to consider. If he hadn't gone down with the flu he might have enjoyed it.

Even if they returned now he would bet he'd be stuck in the infirmary for a couple of days. There was no way they would let him out of the mountain until he was considered as recovered by the quacks on base. Shucks! He'd just have to get some fresh Chinese take out when he finally got home.

Maybe he should invite Daniel around to share it with him to make amends for having aggravated the hell out of him during the course of this mission. Daniel might be an annoying, all too serious, geek sometimes, but he still liked to think of him as a friend. Hell, maybe he'd invite the whole team! They could be good company in those lonesome off duty hours. They were his family.

He was a simple man.

Ordinary...

Husband

Father

Lover

Friend

Thinker

Worker

Performer

Achiever

Soldier

Commander

Warrior

Killer

Peacemaker

Proud and strong

Courageous and honorable

Stubborn and grumpy

Flirtatious and shy

Witty and wacky

Sarcastic and cynical

Kind and caring

Loving and giving

Selfish and arrogant

Self deprecating and modest

Stealthy and covert

Open and honest

Handsome and sexy

Loyal and dedicated

Faithful and dogged

Driven and determined

Solitary and isolated

Gregarious and friendly

Obstinate and impatient

Tolerant and enduring

Child-like and infuriating

Humorous and loveable

Optimistic and pessimistic

Irreverent and sceptical

Alert and intelligent

Self sacrificing and deadly

Talented and accomplished

Contrary and perverse

Enigmatic and charismatic

Complex and deep

Extraordinary...

He was a simple man. This might be how O'Neill would describe himself; that mass of contradictions and complexities summed up in one inappropriate word. He was, after all, merely a man. Maybe one day these words would be carved on his gravestone - Jack O'Neill, a simple man. Happily, today was not going to be that day.

The End 

Su Freund

Stargate SG-1 Fan Awards 2004  
Best New (Ship) Author  
Best Angst (Sam/Jack): Understandings and Misunderstandings  
Best Hurt/Comfort (Sam/Jack): Not Letting Him Down


End file.
